Both government and business initiatives were required for a speedy rollout of 5G, PM Modi said

The speed of advancement in 21st-century India will be determined by connectivity, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday.

Connectivity must be improved at all levels, boosting growth in industries such as agriculture, health, education, infrastructure, and logistics, he said while addressing the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (TRAI) silver jubilee celebrations via video conferencing.

To mark the occasion, he also issued a postal stamp. The event was attended by Union Ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw, Devusinh Chauhan, and L Murugan, as well as representatives from the telecom and media sectors.

In his address, Prime Minister Modi said that the nation's self-built 5G Test Bed, which he dedicated today, was a major step toward self-reliance in essential and contemporary telecom technologies. He praised everyone involved in the effort, particularly the IITs.

He stressed that both government and business initiatives were required for a speedy rollout of 5G.

Prime Minister Modi went on to explain that the country had quickly progressed from 3G to 4G, and now 5G and 6G, after emerging from the hopelessness, frustration, corruption, and policy paralysis of the 2G period.

He acknowledged TRAI for playing a critical role in giving fresh vitality to the telecom industry in the previous eight years as a result of the 'Panchamrita' of Reach, Reform, Regulate, Respond, and Revolutionize.

The Prime Minister stated that the number of mobile manufacturing units has expanded from two to more than 200, bringing mobile phones within reach of even the poorest of families, and that everyone now recognises the necessity for collaborative regulation.

All regulators must join together for this, build shared platforms, and discover methods for improved cooperation, he added.

The Prime Minister also noted that today, India was connecting every village in the country with optical fibre. He added that before 2014, not even 100 village panchayats in India were provided with optical fibre connectivity.

"Today we have made broadband connectivity reach about 1.75 lakh gram panchayats. Hundreds of government services are reaching the villages because of this," he pointed out.