India Overthinking Private 5G Demand

It's time to stop using studies as a smokescreen to delay or stifle an established good initiative. A truly digital India cannot be built by stalling innovation

- TV RAMACHANDRAN

THE RECENT REVIVAL of plans to conduct a demand estimation study for private 5G networks in India might sound like a reasonable step on paper. But make no mistake—this is not a fresh initiative; it's a replay of an old exercise from nearly three years ago. The government first spoke of assessing industrial demand for private 5G as far back as 2021. Since then, little has moved on the ground despite rising interest from Indian industry and a clear global momentum.

Now, in 2025, talk of launching the same study again—without any interim policy action—risks looking less like consultation and more like procrastination. This time, it must be called out for what it increasingly resembles: a delaying tactic, likely influenced by resistance from certain quarters of the establishment that continue to view private 5G as a threat rather than an opportunity.