5G may contribute up to 2% to India GDP by 2030: NASSCOM Report

Tags: Economy/Finance

According to a report by National Association of Software and Services companies (NASSCOM) and Arthur D Little, the adoption of 5G network technology in India is expected to contribute about 2% to India’s GDP amounting to $180 billion by 2030. 

The report titled 5G – Unfolding India's Era of Digital Convergence says that an increasing market penetration, sectoral reforms, improvement in user experience, speedy rollout of services, among others, will contribute to the growth.

Currently, India has 1.1 billion telecom users, which is the second highest in the world after China. Of this, 740 million are 4G users, and they are expected to shift to 5G.

The report says that the government’s National Optical Fibre Network plan which aims to connect all the 2.5 lakh gram panchayats in the country will help enhance India’s potential to 5G adoption.

Sector to lead 5G adoption 

• Among the key sectors, energy and utilities will be the key driver of 5G contributing about 30% of the expected $180-billion potential, followed by retail at 20%, healthcare at 15% and manufacturing sector at 10%. 
• According to the report, adoption of 5G smart metering, smart grid opportunities will boost the usage of 5G in the energy and utilities sector.
•  In healthcare, the penetration is expected to come from online consultation, robotic surgeries, cloud-based patient profiling, and wearables. 
• Digital transformation and smart factories are expected to drive 5G penetration in the manufacturing sector.

5G Launch In India 

The 5th Generation mobile technology was officially launched by the Prime Minister on 1 October 2022. Airtel was the first company to launch the service in India.

National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM)  

• The National Association of Software and  Services Companies(NASSCOM) was set up in 1988
• It is a non-profit organisation of IT  sector companies in India  
• It is a lobby group which works for the promotion of the IT sector and its companies in India and abroad.

Chairman of NASSCOM: Krishnan Ramanujam

President: Debjani Ghosh