Sunil Mittal Explains Why Covid Couldn’t Halt India, Kumar Birla Hails ‘Gen Leap’ as India Rolls Out 5G

India’s heartbeat didn’t pause for a minute during the Covid-19 pandemic as traffic moved from the cities to villages and offices to homes, all because of Prime Minister

Narendra Modi’s Digital India vision, said Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman, Bharti Enterprises, on Saturday. Addressing the 6th India Mobile Congress, marking the launch of 5G

services in India, Mittal said: “Today is the start of a new era during the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ period which will bring new energy, awareness, and opportunities for

people in the country. The rural areas, which faced some shortfall in services so far, will now get access to them.” Praising PM Modi, he said: “We have a leader who not only

understands technology closely but also how to use it for the country’s progress. What PM Modi can do, no one can. I have seen him during his stint as Gujarat chief minister when

he ensured all villages were connected via e-Gram. He made drip irrigation popular. In infrastructure development, Gujarat always occupied the top spot.” Mittal said the telecom

industry used the prime minister’s Digital India vision, without which, the pandemic would have destroyed the nation. He also acknowledged the efforts of industry colleague and

Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, praising him for pushing forth 4G in India. “He made us run to keep pace with him,” Mittal said. The Bharti Enterprises chairman

also praised PM Modi’s ‘Make in India’ pitch as he confessed that he had never thought India would become a manufacturing hub, especially for electronics. “But today, this

has become a reality,” he said. Mittal said the ‘Start-Up India’ vision had also ensured that new unicorns were being born every month and the 5G technology would provide the

necessary fillip to newer entrepreneurs. “In October 1982, I saw a push-button telephone in Taiwan and brought it to India to start its manufacturing here. Today, 40 years later,

I am proud that the same Bharti Airtel is the pioneer in 5G technology.” Concluding his address, Mittal announced that the operator’s 5G telecom services would be launched in

eight cities, including four metros, and progressively cover the entire country by March 2024. Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, was also effusive in his

praise for the prime minister as he lauded his leadership and vision because of which “we are witnessing a generational leap in technology”. “The telecom industry has been

one of India’s key growth engines, catapulting India into the top five economies of the world. It continues to play a transformational role, touching every aspect of our daily