The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has announced the formation of the 5G India Forum to strengthen India’s position in the use and deployment of 5G technology.
The newly created forum aims to bring together the different players in the telecommunications, mobility and connectivity ecosystem in order to have an active role in the development of 5G networks in the country.
The forum will facilitate a synergy between national efforts and industry stakeholders in shaping the strategic, commercial and regulatory development of the 5G ecosystem in India. It will also aid in the Make in India & Digital India initiatives, COAI said in a statement.
"Adoption of 5G will require substantial investment in more downstream innovation than previous generations of communications systems," said COAI’s director general Rajan S Mathews.
“New business ecosystems are expected to emerge in which multiple players will meet, compete, collaborate and work together, at the same time. The 5G India Forum will serve as a strategic national initiative which will address key concerns of all stakeholders, seeking input from private, public, small and large companies, to meet the challenge of making 5G a reality in India.”
COAI’s members include India’s top telecoms operators including Bharti Airtel, Aircel, Vodafone India, Idea Cellular, Reliance Jio Infocomm and Telenor India.
The new industry body will work closely with Department of Telecommunication (DoT), with the aim of preparing a roadmap for 5G deployment, COAI said.
The 5G India Forum will also collaborate with various international forums working on 5G technology. It will also help identify vertical application domains, and use cases which would benefit from 5G and associated challenges.
The Forum will also prepare input documents as well as a platform for facilitating continuous dialogue on key issues such as standardization, technology development, spectrum availability, deployment scenarios and international engagements.
COAI also said that the forum will support the creation of a venture-like program to encourage ecosystem players to develop 5G services.