- By Vaamanaa Sethi
- Fri, 27 Oct 2023 12:12 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Vodafone Idea plans to ramp up investments in the upcoming quarters to roll out its 5G network, all the while improving and strengthening its 4G infrastructure, Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman of Aditya Birla Group, said at the India Mobile Congress event on Friday.
“In the coming quarters Vodafone idea will initiate significant investments in order to roll out 5G networks and further expand 4G coverage across the country. Moreover, the company is determined to realize the government's vision of establishing a robust supply chain in critical and emerging areas, including OpenRAN. This endeavor will enable innovative Indian companies to design both hardware and software for the global markets," Birla said.
The chairman emphasized the significant progress achieved by Vodafone Idea in the past year in preparing the core network for 5G. Additionally, he underscored the company's efforts in creating advanced use cases that are expected to have a substantial influence on vital sectors such as agriculture, infrastructure, logistics, and more.
Birla further added, “This encompasses the entire value chain of major enterprises, and also of MSMEs, which we believe are engines for growth and employment that contribute significantly to India's progress.”
However, it is to be noted that Vodafone Idea is trailing behind its rival Reliance Jio and Airtel in terms of 5G deployment in India. Both Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel have an established extensive 5G network infrastructure with 350,000 setups combined.
“India has now clearly emerged as a champion for the Global South. Inspired by the honorable Prime Minister's vision, many countries in the Global South are now eager to adopt India's pathbreaking digital in public infrastructure assets across identity payments and data management," he said.
With India's digital landscape poised for remarkable expansion, Birla emphasized the exponential surge in broadband users, surpassing 800 million. He attributed the telecom sector as the driving catalyst behind the thriving digital economy of the nation.
“Today India is actively engaging in the development of standards for future technologies in areas like 6G guided by the vision of the honorable Prime Minister, I want to again commend the honorable Prime Minister and the government for their leadership and tremendous support," he added.