India has 99% coverage with 4G, nearly 4.42 lakh 5G BTSs deployed, says Ministry of Communications, ET Telecom

NEW DELHI: India today has a 99% coverage footprint with 4G with over six lakh villages covered by the fourth-generation, while the count of 5G base transceiver stations (BTSs) stands at around 4.42 lakh, according to the Ministry of Communications.

“Today India has 99% coverage footprint in 4G with over 6 lakh villages covered in 4G and around 4.42 lakh 5G BTS…the Indian telecom sector has witnessed significant developments in recent years, setting the stage for a transformative era. Driven by unprecedented data consumption, a vast user base, and a policy-friendly environment, India continues to foster industry growth and start-up innovation,” the ministry said in an official statement Thursday, a day before the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day.

World Telecommunication and Information Society Day is celebrated annually on May 17 since 1969. This year’s theme is ‘Digital Innovation for Sustainable Development’.

According to the statement, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is establishing strategic international partnerships and collaborations to build a “world-class telecom ecosystem” to position India as a global leader in digital innovation and infrastructure.

India’s diplomacy in the telecom sector, as per the ministry, has helped attract new business ventures, forge partnerships with global leaders, nurture domestic startups, and demonstrated “India’s commitment to driving innovation and securing its leadership position in the global telecommunications landscape”.

“The telecom diplomacy has been focussed on outcomes and many green shoots are visible,” it said.

The ministry said the import-export gap has decreased in the recent years, with most of the demands in the fifth-generation era being met by ‘Made in India’ equipment and products.

To this extent, the ministry stated that Indian companies have exports Rs 25,200 crores of telecom equipment and accessories last year.

“Indian companies have exported Rs 25200 crores worth of telecom equipment and accessories last year. DoT has taken concerted efforts to help our domestic companies showcase their domestic products in all foreign fora so that these can be exported,” it said.

It said that Astrome is exporting E-band technology for the $50 billion Rural Backhaul Program, while WiSig’s Open RAN network is under testing at Virginia University, and VVDN has set up offices at three locations in the USA – Vermont, Austin and New York, and is already serving clients like Cisco, Maveneir and Tesla.

“Further, 31 startups participated in MWC USA and Spain and developed business leads for around $100mn,” said the ministry.