New Delhi: 5G is crucial for digital inclusion and will be used for deprived sectors and social causes, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters after taking charge on Monday.
The department of telecommunications will also initiate trials for 5G within 100 days, the minister said.
The government also believes that the spectrum auction should happen in the current calendar year. The last auction of spectrum had happened in 2016.
Prasad is also the Union Minister for Information Technology and will also look to harness synergies between IT and telecom.
“Five lakh wifi hotspots will be established on priority basis. We will ensure that the hotspots reach areas that need digital inclusion," he said.
The government will also set up one lakh digital villages in coordination with the Ministry of IT and look to expedite domestic manufacturing of telecom equipment.
The department of telecommunications will also soon introduce a broadband readiness index to rank states, Prasad said.
