By end of calendar year 26 entire country would be working only on 5G: Piyush Goyal

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, on Tuesday outlined India's ambitious technological and infrastructural roadmap at the India-Israel Business Forum, emphasizing rapid advancements in 5G connectivity, infrastructure expansion, and public welfare programs.

He said, "By end of calendar 26 the entire country would be working only on 5G. We have already started developing our indigenous technology for 6G for telecom connectivity." The minister underlined India's impressive infrastructure progress, stating that in the last decade, India has doubled its port capacity and expanded its airport network from 74 to over 150, with plans to increase this figure to 225 airports within the next five to six years.

The country has also made remarkable strides in highways and roadways while initiating 114 inland waterways to strengthen its transportation network. Addressing the India-Israel Business Forum here, Piyush Goyal, said that "demand defines the India story".

"Show me any other country in the world where you can sell 250 million washing machines, maybe in the next 10-15 years, or 250 million refrigerators, television sets, or smartphones. That's the demand potential that India has," the Union Minister told the gathering.

Meanwhile, Goyal on Tuesday expressed hope that the number of government-registered startups would increase to 10 lakh in the next ten years due to the steps taken to promote growth of these budding entrepreneurs in the country. At present, there are 1.57 lakh registered startups as compared to 450 in 2016.