Guwahati, Sept 29: The Northeastern region can now reap the benefits of 5G technology and harness it for socio-economic development with the city getting a 5G Experience Centre and Applications.
Union Department of North East Region (DONER) minister, G Kishan Reddy on Friday virtually inaugurated the 5G Experience Centre and Applications in the city in collaboration with various government agencies.
This initiative aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision articulated during the golden jubilee celebrations of the North Eastern Council (NEC) in December 2022.
The Prime Minister had highlighted the government’s focus on leveraging 5G technology and digital connectivity for job creation, meeting development goals, and achieving sustainable development goals (SDG) by 2030 in the North Eastern Region (NER), the minister said.
“India’s digital economy has witnessed remarkable growth, outpacing some of the world’s largest economies. Services like Aadhaar, united payments interface (UPI) and digilocker have played pivotal roles in the country’s digital transformation’, he pointed out.
Recognizing the potential of digital revolution, the North Eastern Council, under the Ministry of DoNER, fully funded India’s first 5G training labs and 5G health use case applications across seven northeastern states (except Arunachal Pradesh), Reddy said.
“This groundbreaking initiative will not only strengthen digital connectivity in the northeast, but also position the region as a significant player in the emerging 5G technology landscape’, he added.
Assam Electronics Development Corporation (AMTRON) spearheaded the implementation of this ambitious project, collaborating with key stakeholders, including the ministry of DoNER, department of telecommunications, Telecom Sector Skill Council, School of Planning and Architecture (New Delhi), Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital (New Delhi), Design Innovation Center (UIET, Panjab University), and ALIMCO (a PSU under the union ministry of social justice and development.
The NEC has provided essential guidance and coordination for the project, he said.
A remarkable achievement was the completion of this project in a record time of around 75 days, setting a precedent for swift and effective execution under the policy of ‘Act First & Fast for North East’, Reddy added.
AMTRON chairman Ramendra Narayan Kalita, who was present at the centre, said the region is moving ahead in technology and trying to match the footsteps of other technology-enriched states.
“The 5G technology as envisaged will offer a wide range of benefits to the common people. It will not only help in providing seamless coverage, high data rate, low latency, and highly reliable communications but will also increase energy efficiency, spectrum efficiency and network efficiency,” Kalita said.
With the help of 5G, children even from the remotest schools in villages of Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram or any other northeastern states will be able to learn new things in the new age classroom with top experts.
“We hope that the 5G Experience Centre will be able to provide the platform for students to avail online open courses through 5G high-speed connectivity at a mass scale and help them in securing employment as well,” Kalita added.
Union minister of state for DoNER, B L Verma and senior officials of DONER, NEC, AMTRON and the state governments of the region were also present on the occasion. (PTI)