Odisha joins 5G network, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack to get services first

BHUBANESWAR: Odisha joined the nation's 5G map as Union ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and Dharmendra Pradhan launched the services on Thursday with the former assuring a special package to improve tele-density in the state's rural areas.
The services will be rolled out in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack first while other cities will be covered in a phased manner. "The charges for 5G services will not be high. There won't be much difference in charges between 4G and 5G," said the Union communications minister, adding that the whole of Odisha will be covered in two years.
Pradhan said 5G will prove to be a game-changer for the state. "States like Odisha will benefit in education and health sectors due to 5G services. It will usher in a new era in the field of communications. By using this service, youths can get training and create enterprises of their own, instead of running after jobs," said the Union education minister on the occasion. Vaishnaw said the education ministry has approved an independent course on 5G for engineering students.
Regarding Odisha's poor tele-density, Vaishnaw said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sanctioned a Rs 5,600 crore package under which telecom towers will be installed in rural areas. "Besides, Rs 1080 crore will be utilized to connect villages with optical fibre cables," said Vaishnaw, while also inaugurating 100 telecom towers in tribal dominated Koraput, Kandhamal and Malkangiri districts.
He said that within 18 months, 5,000 towers will be installed in Odisha to cover 7,000 villages. "If we get help from the state government, we can connect each village and school with optical fibre for high quality broadband service. We will immediately install towers after we get land from the Odisha government," Vaishnaw said.
During the occasion, a MoU was signed between SOA University, Bhubaneswar, and the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) with an objective to develop skilled manpower in management and emerging technologies.
Facilities of STPI will be created in Bhubaneswar, Rourkela, Berhampur, Koraput, Balasore, Angul, Jajpur and Sambalpur to provide training to youths. These facilities will be ready by December 31.