Telecom secretary launches experimental module for 5G labs; 1,500 permits granted so far

Telecom Secretary Neeraj Mittal on Friday virtually launched an experimental licence module for 100 5G Labs during a workshop at IIT Madras, an official statement said.

The Department of Telecom (DoT) has granted around 1,500 experimental licences for 5G labs since the launch of the programme for carrying out trials and testing use cases for 5G services, the statement said.

"In a move to smoothen the processes for 100 5G Labs across academic institutions in India, Secretary (Telecom), Dr Neeraj Mittal, virtually launched the experimental licence module for 100 5G Labs during a 5G workshop at IIT Madras.

"This initiative aims to simplify the experimental licence requirements for these institutions, facilitating smoother operations and fostering innovation in the 5G domain," the statement said.

The licences are being issued on 'self-declaration mode' from the Saralsanchar portal of DoT through National Single Window System (NSWS), the statement said.

"To date, about 1,500 licences have been granted since the launch of this module on Saralsanchar portal in July 2021. As per the current process, the applicant has to fill necessary details regarding the experiment to be carried out, schematic of the setup, details of the equipment, frequency band of operation etc to obtain the experimental license," the statement said.