DoT to begin 5G trials in 100 days: Ravi Shankar Prasad

The new telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has set a deadline of 100 days to begin 5G trials in India, and said that the next spectrum auctions, which will include 5G airwaves, would be held within this calendar year.

Taking charge of the ministry of communications on Monday, Prasad, who is also the minister for information technology and law and justice in the new Modi government, said he will take a serious look into the issue of Huawei being allowed to participate in the 5G trials.

“Participation of 5G is not conditional on the trial being started. Whether a company is allowed to participate or not is a complex question, including security issues,” Prasad told reporters.

The new minister added that revival of BSNL and MTNL would be a key task on his priority list, as he felt that a public sector company’s presence in the sector was required for having ‘sober equilibrium’ and was therefore in national interest.

Fast tracking of 5 lakh wifi hotspots, promoting telecom manufacturing, launching of the National Broadband Mission and the National Fibre Authority will be among other top priorities for the new minister.