Government Leadership Award 2023: The Government Leadership Award 2023 was given to India by the Groupe Speciale Mobile Association (GSMA) for best practises in telecom policy and regulation. Every year, the GSMA, which represents over 750 mobile operators and 400 companies in the telecom ecosystem, honours one country. India was declared the winner at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
February 2023 Current Affairs Quiz
According to the GSMA, India’s largest-ever spectrum auction for 5G will take place in July 2022. In total, 72 GHz spectrum was sold across ten spectrum bands. Across the spectrum band, the government reduced reserve prices by 39%. Seventy-one percent of all spectrum sold at auction was for $19 billion. All three Indian mobile operators have acquired spectrum in critical 5G bands such as 700 MHz, 3.5 GHz, and 26 GHz. To further support 5G rollouts, the government has also liberalised the spectrum cap limit for telecom operators, expanding their ability to hold more spectrum.
Following initiatives have been taken by India for improving telecom sector and infrastructure in the country-
- In India, RoW permissions which used to take more than 230 days, now get approval within 8 days.
- More than 85% mobile tower clearances are now instantaneous.
- India’s 5G roll-out is one of the fastest in the world, with nearly 1 lakh sites in 387 districts.
- Indian telecom sector has emerged as a sunrise sector and the whole world has taken note of this rise.
- Several initiatives were carried out in India, including licencing reforms, the establishment of the PM Gati Shakti Sanchar Portal, streamlining Right of Way (RoW), spectrum reforms, satellite reforms, and so on.
What is Mobile World Congress (MWC)?
Mobile World Congress (MWC) is an annual trade show and conference for the mobile telecommunications industry. The Mobile World Congress (MWC) event brings together representatives from mobile operators, device manufacturers, technology providers, and other mobile industry players. Exhibitors showcase their latest mobile devices, network infrastructure, software, and services. The MWC conference features keynote speeches, panel discussions, and educational sessions covering topics such as- 5G, Artificial intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), and Mobile security.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
GSMA Chairperson: Stéphane Richard;
GSMA Headquarters: London, England, UK;
GSMA Founded: 1995.
