PM Modi inaugrates India's first '5G testbed'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the country’s first 5G testbed today. It is expected to allow entrepreneurs and market players to test and certify their technologies domestically. Resulting in reduced reliance on foreign facilities. The testbed is built at a cost of approximately Rs. 220 Crore.

The PM said that the 5G testbed is a significant step towards “self-reliance in the direction of critical and modern technologies” while speaking at the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) silver jubilee celebrations.

The Prime Minister said,” I invite youth friends, researchers and companies to utilize the testing facility for making 5G technology.” The 5G testbed was created as a collaboration project between eight institutes led by IIT Madras.

IIT Delhi, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Bombay, IIT Kanpur, IISc Bengaluru, Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering & Research (SAMEER) and Centre of Excellence in Wireless Technology(CEWiT) were among the other institutions involved in the research.

Lacking the facility of 5G testbed in the country, startups and other entrepreneurs were forced to test and certify their technologies in other countries, before they could be installed in a 5G network. The testbed facility will be available at 5 different locations.