While Reliance Jio asserts its completion of the national 5G rollout and Bharti Airtel aims to achieve the same by March, Vodafone Idea and newcomer Adani Data Networks may face fines for failing to meet the minimum 5G rollout obligations set by India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT). The DoT has issued “show cause” notices to both companies, signaling potential fines if they cannot provide satisfactory explanations for the delay in their 5G rollouts.
The minimum rollout obligations mandate operators to commercially launch 5G services in both metro and non-metro cities within the first year. However, neither Vodafone Idea nor Adani Data Networks have initiated 5G services or expanded to any cities as per the requirements.
Adani Data Networks presents a unique situation. Its proposal centered on utilizing spectrum for deploying 5G private networks tailored for industries. However, the operator has encountered challenges in deploying a 5G network in the 26GHz band, primarily due to device unavailability and potential spectrum scarcity, as reported in May last year. Conversely, Vodafone Idea’s ongoing financial constraints and debt issues likely hinder its investment in 5G rollout efforts.
