Govt will set up 100 5G labs to promote innovation: IT Minister

NEW DELHI: The government will set up 100 5G labs across the country and some of these labs will become incubators to train students, promote innovation, research and experiment, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Sunday.

"We are going to set up 100 5G labs across the country. I request the telecom industry to come together and convert at least 12 of these 100 labs into telecom incubators to train students and do experiments," he said on the second day of the Indian Mobile Congress (IMC) 2022 here.

Vaishnaw said the government is working significantly towards simplifying the license regime for all telecom players.

"I am really happy to see the energy of startups and MSMEs who are going to rural areas to benefit people," he told the gathering.

The minister also invited comments for the draft of the Indian Telecommunication Bill, 2022.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said that the launch of 5G is going to be a defining moment for not only India but for the world.

"A large economy like India which has talent is emerging from the shadows to take a leadership role. We are now indigenously designing, developing and manufacturing goods and showing the world the scale and speed with which we will take 5G through the length and breadth of India," he said at the event.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched 5G services and India ushered in an era of ultra high-speed Internet.

"Today, 130 crore Indians are getting a wonderful gift in the form of 5G from the country and from the telecom industry of the country. 5G is a knock on the doors of a new era in the country. 5G is the beginning of an infinite sky of opportunities. I congratulate every Indian for this," he had said.