India-Japan to work on bolstering cooperation in field of 5G, smart cities

The Ministry of Telecommunication on Friday said that India and Japan will work together in the field of information and communication technology to enhance cooperation in the field of 5G technology and smart cities.

While the government is yet to roll out the tender for 5G, smart cities has been one of its flagship schemes. The two countries will also work together in the field of telecom security, submarine optical fibre cable system to islands of India, spectrum management, high altitude platform for broadband in unconnected areas, disaster management and public safety.

Announcing the decision, minister for telecommunications Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “The timely execution of connecting Andaman & Nicobar Islands with submarine optical fibre cable as a great example of cooperation between India and Japan"

Signed MoU for cooperation in the field of Information and Communication Technologies with Government of Japan in presence of Mr. Takeda Ryota, Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, Govt. Japan. pic.twitter.com/SJGAvZZplV

— Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) January 15, 2021

Prasad further highlighted that during Covid-19 crisis, a large number of investments had come to India in the field of electronics manufacturing due to attractive policies such as the production-linked investment scheme.

“He urged the Japanese electronics industry to invest in India and avail the benefits of the new technologies. The minister further highlighted the great potential India holds for Japanese investors in the field of 5G and 5G based services, Internet of Things, digital health technologies etc,” the ministry said in a statement.

The government has already rolled out its first PLI scheme for manufacturing of mobile phones, with incentives up to 6 per cent, and is in the works to announce others for laptops, tablets, hearables, wearables, drones and robots.