India launches 5G services in country: Which other countries provide high-speed internet and at what cost?

The days of slow internet and ‘poor network’ messages while working online will soon be a thing of the past.Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the 5G telephony services in the country at the 6th Edition of India Mobile Congress 2022 at New Delhi’s Pragati Maidan, ushering in an era of ultra-high-speed internet on mobile phones.Catch all the latest updates from the 5G rollout HEREIn the first phase, the services have been rolled out for 13 cities — Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Gandhinagar, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Jamnagar, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai and Pune; the technology will be introduced across the entire country in the next two years.Also read: Explained: As PM Modi launches 5G, how it will transform the way we use dataSpeaking at the event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “This event will be etched in history. The launch of 5G is a gift from the telecom industry to 130 crore Indians. It is a step towards the new era in the country, is the beginning of infinite opportunities.”As we celebrate the rollout of this ultra-high-speed internet, here’s a look at how 5G services have rolled out across the world and how much they spend for it.Who launched 5G first?India isn’t the first country to launch 5G services. However, which country provides the high-speed internet first remains a debate.Three telecom providers —SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus — in South Korea began their 5G services in April 2019, claiming the title of the first country to provide users with the new service.However, America’s AT&T Inc and Verizon Communications Inc rejected the claims. AT&T said it was the victor because it announced on 18 December that it planned to launch its 5G network in 12 US cities that month. However, its network is available only to consumers using a mobile hotspot device, not on 5G phones. Verizon, for its part, countered that it had come first, reported Reuters.Amid the claims from the American telecom companies, South Korea’s media, Yonhap, stated that the launch in the country had come earlier.Hence, the debate on which country launched 5G first remains a sticking point.5G across the worldSince being launched in 2019, 5G continues its deployment momentum around the world. As of June 2022, a Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) report states that around 70 countries have 5G networks, up from just 38 in mid-2020.Some estimates forecast that by 2025, there will be 3.6 billion 5G connections, a number expected to grow to 4.4 billion by 2027.China and the United States are the countries with the most 5G cities. But on a regional basis, the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region has surpassed the Asia Pacific region (including China) in terms of deployed 5G networks, with 839 5G networks in EMEA compared to 689 5G networks in APAC. There are 419 5G networks in the Americas, by a recent report.The countries where 5G has been newly launched include Argentina, Bhutan, Kenya, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Malta and Mauritius.In 2021, a report by VIAVI Solutions said that China had the most extensive 5G network rollout. This was followed by South Korea, the United States, Spain, United Kingdom, Canada, Finland.A report published by Opensignal (Benchmarking the Global 5G Experience) in June 2022 revealed that South Korea tops the list of countries with the highest 5G download speed, surpassing the 400 Mbps mark.Malaysia and Sweden rank second and third with download speeds of 382.2 Mbps and 333.9 Mbps, respectively.In terms of the best 5G upload speed, Malaysia ranks first with a speed of 50.3 Mbps followed by Sweden (43.7 Mbps) ranking second, and Norway (40.5 Mbps) ranked third.Sweden takes a lead among the highest ranked markets for video experience with a score of 82.6, followed by Slovenia (81.4) and Austria (81.1).Cost of 5G across the worldWhile the costing of 5G in India hasn’t been finalised, most predict that it will be more than what people pay now for their 4G connections.Earlier, Telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had indicated that the 5G data prices in India would be lower than the global market. Currently, data rates in India are about $2 dollars (Rs 155) while globally the average rate is $25 dollars (Rs 1,900). 5G prices in India are expected to follow the same trend as the 4G ones are.As per a report published in 2019, South Korea operator SKT provides 1 GB of 4G data for nearly $7 and charges $0.32 for 5G. Another operator, LGUPLUS, provides 5G data at $5 per GB, while 4G data is priced at nearly $20 per GB.Verizon, the biggest telecom operator in USA, only has unlimited plans currently. It charges $58 for a month for 5G connections.In Switzerland, telecom operator Sunrise offers 1 GB limited data for 5G at $55.With inputs from agenciesRead all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.