The investments in 5G are going to be more obligatory than voluntary for incumbent operators like Airtel and Vodafone Idea Limited given their financial health.

The Communications Minister Manoj Sinha said major investment commitment has come from Ericsson, Samsung, Sterlite Tech, Cisco, Nokia and Intel.

To begin with there's the quick response (QR) code option - a kind of barcode label containing machine-readable information that can be captured through a simple smartphone camera on to a device.

What is still unclear is whether the 12-digit biometric number can be voluntarily extended by cardholders for registration and authentication purposes.

Reliance Jio is preparing to launch fifth generation telecom services, which can support download speeds 50 to 60 times faster than 4G, within six months of spectrum allocation.

The DoT had reportedly barred Huawei Technologies and ZTE Corp from the list of companies allowed to work with local companies in 5G technology-based trials due to \"security\" concerns.

The growth in Jio's subscriber base doesn't imply that the tariff war is likely to subside anytime soon.

The telecom operators had disagreed to the model recommended by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on grounds that it will have adverse effects on the debt-ridden industry and might even compromise national security.

Aruna Sundararajan is setting the agenda for the telecom sector's next phase of growth.

The transition from 4G to 5G will be a software transition so it can be done much faster, says Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan.