According to Tarun Pathak, Research Director, Counterpoint Research, it proves that Indigenisation is possible in an emerging and latest tech like 5G….reports Asian Lite News
Industry experts on Tuesday welcomed the launch of the self-made 5G test bed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that the transformative power of 5G will provide a significant thrust to the country’s economic growth across industries and sectors.
Prime Minister Modi dedicated an indigenous 5G Test Bed, in the form of 5Gi, to the nation during an event organised by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
“The launch of India’s first 5G Test Bed will spur an ecosystem centred around innovation in next-gen technologies. Start-ups will now be able to test and validate their technological prototypes, products, and solutions locally in a 5G network,” Prabhu Ram, Head-Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), CMR, said.
Modi said that the 5G technology will facilitate governance and make a positive change in ease of doing business in many fields, creating more jobs in many sectors.
According to Tarun Pathak, Research Director, Counterpoint Research, it proves that Indigenisation is possible in an emerging and latest tech like 5G.
“This should give a boost to local talent and further support and strengthen India’s image in emerging technologies which will be built on a strong 5G ecosystem,” Pathak told IANS.
Modi said that the 2G era was full of frustration, corruption and policy paralysis.
“After that, we came to 3G, 4G and now we are testing the 5G technology, developed by the Communication Ministry, Indian Institute of Technology at Chennai and Delhi,” the Prime Minister said.
Arvind Bali, CEO, Telecom Sector Skill Council, said that for adopting new tech and infrastructure, skilling along with reskilling/upskilling of the workforce will ensure that the human resource requirement is sufficient when 5G services are live.
“We, along with all stakeholders, is already driving training of workforce in new-age technologies and has developed NSQF-aligned courses with unified credit framework on 5G technology that will be recognised in universities and institutions to meet this huge upcoming demand in trained talent force when the time comes,” said Bali.
Giving a thrust on domestic manufacturing, Modi also said that mobile manufacturing units have increased from just two in 2014 to more than 200 in the country.
Experts said that the next challenge is to drive true local value addition.
“This will be driven by a strong regulatory and policy environment and performance-linked incentive (PLI) scheme. India currently has local value addition of around 15 per cent in mobile and we need to more than double the same to generate more push,” said Pathak.
Ram added that mobile manufacturing in India has been an impressive success story of the ‘Make in India’ mission.
“Mobile production in India today caters to not just a growing domestic digital economy, but also to developed markets around the world. With enhanced value addition taking place domestically, India is now slowly becoming an integral part of the global value chains,” Ram told IANS.
However, North America and Europe will have great potential in the future, the report mentioned…reports Asian Lite News
Global cellular internet of things (IoT) module shipments are likely to cross 1.2 billion units by 2030 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12 per cent, a new report showed on Monday.
5G shipments is set to overtake 4G by 2028 to become the leading technology in the global cellular IoT module market, according to Counterpoint Research.
China leads in 5G adoption in the global cellular IoT module market.
However, North America and Europe will have great potential in the future, the report mentioned.
“5G adoption in emerging markets such as India and Latin America will also grow faster and 5G RedCap may become popular in these regions,” said Neil Shah, Vice-President Research.
The report estimated that cumulative 5G shipments (excluding 5G RedCap) will reach 2.5 billion units, growing at a CAGR of 60 per cent between 2022 and 2030.
Smart meter, industrial, router/CPE, automotive and POS (point of sale) will be the top five applications in 2030 in terms of shipments.
“The rollout of 5G and introduction of 5G RedCap in coming years will see the adoption of 5G across intelligent IoT applications in industrial, asset tracking, POS, telematics, healthcare and wearables segments, mostly replacing traditional 4G IoT applications,” said senior research analyst, Soumen Mandal.
By the end of this decade, we should see the introduction of 6G technology for IoT.
“However, 6G will be limited to higher-end applications such as enterprise and broadband in the initial years of adoption,” Mandal added.
According to industry experts, the TRAI has mooted the concept of sharing of spectrum between the satellite and 5G industry in a harmonious manner….reports Asian Lite News
Leading industry bodies on Tuesday hailed the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) recommendations of around 35-40 per cent cut in the reserve price for 5G spectrum for mobile services, terming it historic and which can finally put India on the world 5G map.
The telecom regulator has put forward a mega auction plan valued at over Rs 7.5 trillion at the base price allocated over 30 years.
According to industry experts, the TRAI has mooted the concept of sharing of spectrum between the satellite and 5G industry in a harmonious manner.
“These are one of the most holistic, far-sighted and balanced recommendations in the last 25 years of the Indian telecom industry,” said T.V. Ramachandran, President of Broadband India Forum (BIF).
The entire gamut of available spectrum in 600 MHz, 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2500 MHz, 3300-3670 MHz and 24.25-28.5 GHz spectrum bands has been recommended by the TRAI to be put to auction.
“This would be extremely useful keeping in view that only limited spectrum is available for 5G in the 700 MHz band. The sub-GHz spectrum bands are extremely useful for indoor coverage in metros and for rural coverage,” the BIF said in a statement.
In future auctions, access spectrum will be assigned for a period of 30 years as against 20 years now.
The BIF said that the TRAI has recommended the reserve price to be 1.5 times the reserve price for 20 years for the respective band, which is a constructive step for the industry.
“Increasing the validity of spectrum from 20 to 30 years confers substantial advantage to telecom service providers by giving a longer-term certainty for planning and recovering their investments,” it added.
In terms of spectrum pricing, a price of Rs 317 crore/MHz of 5G spectrum has been recommended in the key 3.5 GHz band.
While the revised price may appear to be only 35 per cent below the previously recommended price, “this may be the best possible under the circumstances, since the indirect benefits from a 30-year tenure and easier payment terms would be quite substantial”, the BIF noted.
Pankaj Mohindroo, Chairman of the India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA), told IANS that the industry was demanding and expecting a deeper cut.
“This reduction will, however, help the industry to some extent and we welcome this move,” he said.
On the aspect of private 5G networks, Ramachandran said that these recommendations would enable India to showcase early adoption of 5G across several different verticals – be it healthcare, education, manufacturing, or more.
“We can ill afford to stay behind the rest of the world, and this is an opportunity for India to catch up on 5G through private networks,” he added.
According to Ankit Jain, Assistant Vice President and Sector Head, Corporate Ratings, ICRA on the Telecom Sector, TRAI has recommended spectrum auctions with one of the largest quanta of spectrum on offer (more than 100,000 MHz).
“The reserve prices have been materially revised downwards by around 35-40% from the last spectrum auction and despite this, the total spectrum on offer at reserve price is valued at around Rs 5 lakh crore for 20 years,” he said.
“Even at a modest participation in this auction, the debt levels of the industry are likely to elevate further to Rs 4.8 lakh crore by March 2023, despite the improvement in the cash flow generation post the tariff hikes as well as the deleveraging initiatives undertaken by the telcos,” he added.
“As more and more people buy smartphones with powerful specs, longer battery life and bigger screens, the content consumption is only set to grow in the country,” Pathak told…reports Nishant Arora
What do Indians love to watch on their smartphones? It is entertainment and cricket. Be it live streaming or TV shows, more and more of nearly 600 million Indians who use smartphones are watching their favourite shows on personal devices — giving a much-needed boost to the OTT platforms in the country.
From YouTube to Netflix and from Zee5 to MX Player, the daily consumption of content only increased in the two years of the pandemic.
Indians are currently spending close to five hours on their smartphones (according to app intelligence firm App Annie), and streaming is becoming an integral part for millions, including users from rural India.
According to Tarun Pathak, Research Director at Counterpoint Research, OTT consumption and smartphones go hand-in-hand.
“As more and more people buy smartphones with powerful specs, longer battery life and bigger screens, the content consumption is only set to grow in the country,” Pathak told.
The video streaming market in India has exploded — thanks to Reliance Jio and its ultra-cheap data packs — with more than 65 per cent of video consumption coming from rural India that has around 40 per cent Internet connectivity.
The broadening of the traditional audience in the streaming space, the popularity of international content (such as Korean or Spanish) in India, and the ability to attract a wider audience through subtitles and dubbed content have made established streaming service providers revise their strategy for the Indian market, according to reports.
In December 2021, Netflix slashed the prices of its streaming services in India by 60 per cent, to Rs 199 a month for its basic plan. On the other hand, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ Hotstar actually marginally hiked their monthly subscription rates.
Walt Disney’s streaming service Disney+ Hotstar added 2.6 million paid subscribers in the first quarter ended January 1, 2022 to take its total base to 45.9 million in India.
Netflix and Amazon Prime Video do not reveal their country-wise figures.
A recent CII-BCG report revealed that India had 70-80 million paid subscribers on OTT platforms at the end of 2021, up from 14 million in 2018.
Wilmot Reed Hastings, Co-Founder, Chairman and President at Netflix, had said earlier this year that what’s unique about India is that cable is about $3 per month per household.
“So radically different pricing than the rest of the world, which does impact consumer expectations. The great news is in every single other major market, we’ve got the flywheel spinning. The thing that frustrates us is why haven’t we been as successful in India. But we’re definitely leaning in there,” Hastings had told analysts.
According to Gregory K. Peters, COO and Chief Product Officer at Netflix, they are learning more about Indian consumers’ tastes which is broadening the offerings in the service across many different dimensions.
India, which is the third-largest 5G smartphone market globally, saw nearly 30 million smartphones that were 5G-ready in 2021 — from just 3 million in 2020.
The total cumulative shipments of smartphones in the country are expected to reach 1.7 billion over 2022-2026, creating a market of about $250 billion; of which, nearly 840 million 5G devices are expected to be sold in a span of five years.
“I think 5G will have a positive impact on OTT consumption in India. The biggest change one can expect is the quality of the content that can be consumed anywhere, especially on the go,” said Pathak.
Content creators will think beyond network limitations while creating content, especially ultra-high definition with much reduced latency.
This, said Pathak, can further spark innovation and make OTT a very competitive space, especially when everyone is targeting to get the maximum share of users’ time.
Streaming war begins
In 2008 when India was warming up to social media, another revolution was taking place, albeit quietly, in the subscription-driven, online movie-on-demand service market.
Reliance Entertainment launched the first Indian movie-on-demand platform called BIGFlix which allowed users to pay and stream or download movies at any time.
In 2010, a domestic tech company called Digivive launched India’s first over-the-top (OTT) mobile app called nexGTv, which provided access to both live TV and on-demand content. It was the first app to livestream the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches on smartphones in 2013 and 2014.
OTT streaming gained momentum in India when both DittoTV (Zee) and Sony Liv were launched around 2013.
Fast forward to 2022 and what we witness in nearly a decade-long period is over 40 OTT platforms — both Ad-based Video on Demand (AVOD) and Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) services — streaming content 24/7 in India, gaining new users and threatening traditional cable and linear TV.
In two years of the pandemic, the OTT growth has exploded with heavy investments in original content, pricing innovations, low data costs and the rise of short-form content.
According to a Deloitte report that came out in February this year, the Indian OTT space is expected to grow at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of more than 20 per cent to reach $13-$15 billion over the next decade.
The OTT market currently makes up only 7-9 per cent of India’s entertainment industry.
The pandemic, however, accelerated SVOD adoption owing to right bundling and pricing innovations, along with the availability of premium original content.
There are currently about 102 million SVOD subscribers and this number is estimated to reach 224 million by 2026.
However, AVOD is expected to continue to pull in more revenue than SVOD in the country, increasing its current rate of $1.1 billion in 2021 to $2.4 billion in 2026, according to Deloitte’s Technology, Media, and Telecommunications (TMT) 2022 report.
Over the same period, SVOD is expected to grow from its current $0.8 billion to $2.1 billion in 2026.
SVOD subscriptions may also be affected by the bring-forward effect of Covid-19 as the currently accelerated growth rate may taper with the pandemic subsiding.
Jehil Thakkar, Partner, Media and Entertainment Leader, Deloitte India, told IANS that the wide adoption of smartphones combined with cheap data as well as the diverse content available to address all tastes is one of the key factors that led to the growing adoption of OTT platforms in India.
“Pricing too has been an influencer as low prices and some free options have always encouraged sampling and adoption in the country,” Thakkar said.
According to experts, the market for providing video streaming services in India is highly fragmented with more than 40 streaming players vying for the customer’s wallet.
Global streaming service providers such as Amazon, Disney-owned Hotstar and Netflix compete with domestic service providers such as Zee5, Voot, SonyLiv and MX Player), as well as a host of regional players.
In a latest move, most major streaming players have launched mobile-centric plans targeting price-sensitive millennials and Gen Z customers.
These plans also capitalise on low data rates ($0.09 per GB) and widespread smartphone user base (more than 600 million) in the country.
Industry experts say that the demand for OTT streaming content based on geo-demography is on the rise, both within India and internationally from the considerable Indian diaspora.
According to Gaurav Gandhi, Director & Country Manager, Amazon Prime Video India, one out of every five viewers for Indian Amazon Originals is from outside the country.
In a recent blog, Gandhi said that the local language titles on Prime Video are viewed in over 4,000 cities and towns in India besides being watched in 170 countries.
“Our Indian Amazon Originals enjoy incredible popularity both in the country and outside India International viewers already account for between 15 and 20 per cent of total audiences of these local language films,” he informed.
In India, the pandemic acted as a boon for streamers as the closure of cinemas forced content owners to look at online distribution platforms.
OTT platforms invested an estimated $665 million in content in the country last year, with Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ Hotstar leading the pack with a combined spend of $380 million, according to data shared by Deloitte.
Others, led by Zee and Sony, are also gradually scaling their investments as they aim to catch up.
Currently, each paying customer in India has, on an average, 2.4 subscriptions of OTT platforms.
However, given the price sensitivity, Indian customers may not continue to pay for multiple OTT streaming services in the near future.
“App aggregation and bundling can play an important role in expanding the market by bringing considerable value to consumers in terms of affordability, useability (single sign-on, single window content discovery, etc.), and compatibility with existing devices,” according to the Deloitte report.
According to the findings, North East Asia will continue leading in the 5G adaptation…reports Asian Lite News
As the fifth generation technology witnesses great adoption, 5G mobile subscriptions globally are expected to cross 4.39 billion by 2027, a new report said on Tuesday.
North-East Asia is likely to have the highest number of subscriptions of over 1 billion, with Central and Eastern Europe expected to record the least number of subscriptions at 230 million, according to data obtained by Stockapps.com.
“The 5th generation connectivity is quickly gaining popularity as the new age of the Internet rolls by. It is especially a crucial factor driving the Internet of Things and is expected to increase significantly in the coming years,” said Edith Reads from stockapps.com.
In 2020, North Asia accounted for 120 million of the global 216 million 5G mobile subscriptions. Central and Eastern Europe accounted for the least subscriptions, with about 220,000 subscriptions.
According to the findings, North East Asia will continue leading in the 5G adaptation.
Since 2020, adoption in the region has been growing consistently to get to over 830 million in 2022.
It is expected that the region will maintain consistent growth over the years to get to 1.6 billion in 2027, said the report.
The Middle East and Africa will also record an incredible surge, increasing from 1.46 million to 310 million subscriptions in 2027.
Data shows that by 2023, connected cars will form around 19 million endpoints, making up the most extensive base of the 5G IoT endpoints.
Other significant 5G and IoT factors include surveillance cameras and fleet telematics.
China currently houses around 1.43 million 5G base stations and over 500 million 5G users…reports Asian Lite News
China will work to ensure the number of 5G base stations tops 2 million this year, Minister of Industry and Information Technology Xiao Yaqing said.
China currently houses around 1.43 million 5G base stations and over 500 million 5G users, Xiao told journalists on the sidelines of the ongoing “two sessions,” adding that the country will also make plans to develop 6G technology, reports Xinhua news agency.
When asked about China’s current performance of industry, Xiao voiced confidence over stability while listing challenges ahead, including rising raw material prices, Covid-19-affected logistics and changes in the external environment.
He said the country will work to smooth the supply chain and industrial chain, and propel the transition to medium- and high-end manufacturing.
More efforts will be made to nurture small- and medium-sized enterprises, especially those specialising in a niche market and boasting cutting-edge technologies, he added.
Amidst the gravity of bitter fighting in Ukraine as President Vladimir Putin prosecutes his invasion, China announced its defence budget for 2022 on the opening day of its fifth annual session of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC). Usually these annual announcements of Chinese military spending grab headlines, but in 2022 the 7.1 per cent rise in Beijing’s defence expenditure is overshadowed by war in Europe.
In monetary terms, China’s 2022 defence spending is CNY1.45045 trillion (USD229.39 billion). Indeed, the budget revealed on 5 March confirms a continuing rebound in expenditure. Last year, China increased spending by 6.8 per cent to CNY1.355 trillion (USD209.4 billion).
The overall increase of approximately USD20 billion this year is actually the largest ever (the second largest was USD13.4 billion in 2021, and the largest was USD13.6 billion in 2014).
Two years ago, China approved just a 6.6 per cent increase in defence spending, which represented a dip due to the onset of COVID-19. In preceding years, the budget had risen 7.5 per cent (2019) and 8.1 per cent (2018) annually.
Furthermore, this is the seventh year in a row where the defence budget has risen in only single-digit percentages, underscoring that the halcyon days of double-digit growth are long gone.
Modi meets with Qualcom CEO to highlight hi-tech opportunities
PM Modi ‘s meeting with Amon is significant as India is looking at fast adoption of 5G technology in the country and for investment in this high technology area from credible partners who can provide safe and secure networks, reports Asian Lite News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi started his campaign to welcome more investments and enterprise creation in India with a meeting with wireless technology giant Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon in Washington on Thursday.
After their meeting, the Prime Minister’s Office tweeted that they “had a productive interaction. PM Modi highlighted the vast opportunities India offers. Mr. Amon expressed keenness to work with India in areas such as 5G and other @_DigitalIndia efforts”.
It added that they discussed “investment opportunities in hi-tech sectors in India. Discussed recent electronics & telecom manufacturing PLI schemes; & measures to strengthen innovation ecosystem”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Indian diaspora in Washington DC.
When the leaders of the Quad — Modi, President Joe Biden and Prime Ministers Yoshihide Suga of Japan and Scott Morrison of Australia — meet on Friday, semiconductors will likely be a priority in their agenda.
The US and others plan to diversify their semiconductor manufacturing because of its strategic importance and India could benefit.
The supply chain for semiconductors has been disrupted resulting in manufacturing from digital devices to automobiles hit by shortages creating strategic worries for the US.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Shantanu Narayen, chairman, president, nd chief executive officer of Adobe Inc.
CNBC quoted consulting firm, Alix Partners, as reporting that the global automotive industry will alone suffer losses of $210 billion in revenue this year because of chip shortages.
Japan’s business publication Nikkei reported last week that a draft of the Quad summit joint statement would “agree to work toward creating a safe supply chain for semiconductors”.
In his address at the United Nations on Tuesday, Biden said that the Quad was being “elevated” to meet challenges in emerging technologies, among others.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets CEO of First Solar Mark Widmar
Qualcomm, with a market cap of about $150 billion, is a leader in the manufacture of chips used in everything from cameras to aircraft and a pioneer in 5G technology.
Modi also held one-on-one meetings with CEOs of software company Adobe, renewable energy company First Solar, arms manufacturer General Atomics, and investment management company Blackstone.
Abu Dhabi ranks among the fastest capitals globally in the 5G network index, with the fastest median download speeds (421.26Mbps) in the first half of 2021…reports Asian Lite News
According to Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority, not only Abu Dhabi has emerged among the top three fastest 5G capitals in the world, but is also home to the fastest mobile network on earth on an overall basis, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk
Abu Dhabi ranks among the fastest capitals globally in the 5G network index, with the fastest median download speeds (421.26Mbps) in the first half of 2021, according to the latest data from Ookla, a global leader in fixed broadband and mobile network testing applications, data and analysis.
This recent achievement is yet another feather in the UAE’s cap as not only Abu Dhabi has emerged among the top three fastest 5G capitals in the world, but is also home to the fastest mobile network on earth on an overall basis, the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) said on Thursday.
Majed Sultan Al Mesmar, Director General of the TDRA, said this global achievement is a testimony to UAE leadership’s vision and commitment in bringing the country to the forefront, taking a lead in the ICT sector while being the most advanced country in digital innovation.
“5G is a huge leap forward and a powerful catalyst for digital transformation bringing new opportunities to various industries and the country. The availability and access to the super-fast speeds on 5G is a huge accomplishment that reflects the continuous efforts of both operators and their innovative approach during today’s extraordinary times,” he said.
He also thanked the service providers in the UAE (Etisalat and Du) for the deployment of 5G networks.
“With the UAE leading as the fastest fixed network in MEA [the Middle East and Africa] and fastest mobile network globally, this further highlights the country’s readiness to attract the best in world-class talent and global conglomerates from across sectors, showcasing the significance of an advanced state-of-the-art telecom infrastructure contributing to UAE’s economic growth and leadership on a global platform,” Al Mesmar said.
According to Hatem Dowidar, CEO of Etisalat Group, the deployment of 5G across industries and sectors leads the way to digital transformation in UAE, pushing it to the forefront with a network that is future-ready for the next generation of mobile technologies.
“The continuous support of wise leadership of the UAE has played a critical role throughout Etisalat’s journey and the development of the telecom sector, setting a great motivation for us to continue deploying the latest innovative technologies and enriching the digital experience of customers while transforming communities,” he said.
Fahad Al Hassawi, CEO of Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), said, “du aims to upgrade the telecommunications sector and develop digital infrastructure in line with the directives of UAE leadership to consolidate the position of the UAE as a global centre for technology, innovation and business.
He added, “5G technology, and its enormous potential, is key to pioneering the digital economy and keeping pace with the requirements of smart transformation, as it supports a variety of solutions, applications and other technologies that enable better services to residents and business communities.”
Another noteworthy achievement recorded in the UAE was both Abu Dhabi (421.26Mbps) and Dubai (417.07 Mbps) median download speeds featuring in the special ‘Global 5G Benchmark Report’ that focused on major cities globally measuring 5G performance and availability in the first half of 2021.
With vertical and horizontal city expansion in the UAE, high mobile indoor penetration enhancement enabled the deployment of in-building solutions and small cells for better mobile availability anytime, everywhere.
Ookla uses Speedtest Intelligence data to see which world capitals have the best 5G speeds and availability, based on locations with commercially available 5G during Q1-Q2 2021.
Juhi’s remarks comes just a few days after the Delhi High Court dismissed the lawsuit filed by her against the setting up of 5G…reports Asian Lite News
Bollywood actress and environmentalist Juhi Chawla took to social media on Wednesday to claim that she is not against 5G technology but just wants to learn whether it is safe for all.
Juhi shared a video on Instagram on Wednesday where, speaking in Hindi and English she said: “There has been so much noise in the past few days that I almost could not hear myself too! And I feel that a very important message probably got lost in the middle of all this noise, which is that we are not against 5G. In fact, we are welcoming of it. Please bring it.”
“All we are asking is that the authorities certify that 5G is safe. Please certify it and publish your studies and research made on this on the public domain so that we get rid of this fear of ours. We just want to know that it is safe for children, for pregnant women, for unborn children, for people who are old, infirm, for flora fauna. That is all we are asking,” the actress said in her video.
Juhi’s video comes just a few days after the Delhi High Court dismissed the lawsuit filed by her against the setting up of 5G wireless networks in the country, and also imposed a fine of Rs 20 lakh for the abuse of the process of law.
The plea filed by Juhi Chawla, Veeresh Malik and Teena Vachani claimed that 5G wireless technology can be a potential threat to provoke irreversible and serious effects on humans and it could also permanently damage the earth’s ecosystems.
Juhi Chawla alleges that actions of regulatory agencies reveal an utter derogation of their own statutory duty in order to advance private interests…reports Asian Lite News
A law suit filed by actress Juhi Chawla in the Delhi High Court on the health risks associated with the 5G telecom technology has said that there has been a complete sell-out by the regulatory agencies in order to advance private interests.
The suit documents said that the regulatory agencies have been tasked to protect the health and life of the public, but whose actions reveal an utter derogation of their own statutory duty in order to advance private interests, this sell-out naturally being on account of extraneous considerations provided by private interests.
The suit addressed the “dire and palpable risks to the public at large which an indiscriminate and admittedly untested rollout of the 5G cellular telecommunications technology entails”.
“In other words, no one party/individual can be allowed to profit at the expense of health, safety and life of others,” the suit said.
The suit pointed out that Brussels in Belgium, while recognising the health hazards, became the first major city in the world to actually halt any further steps in the 5G rollout.
It also pointed out that insurance companies like Lloyds of London and Swiss Re have refused since 2001 to cover the risk of telecom providers against lawsuits relating even to injury related to radiation, much less death.
In the suit, Chawla along with Veeresh Malik and Teena Vachani argued that until and unless the 5G technology is “certified safe”, its rollout should not be permitted, seeking directions from the court in this matter.
Chawla said if the telecommunication industry’s plans for 5G come to fruition, “no person, no animal, no bird, no insect and no plant on Earth will be able to avoid exposure, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to levels of RF radiation that are 10x to 100x times greater than what exists today”.
These 5G plans threaten to provoke serious, irreversible effects on humans and permanent damage to all of the Earth’s ecosystems, she said.
