Telecom Dept launches 5G Vertical Engagement and Partnership Program

New Delhi, April 11: The Department of Telecommunications on Monday launched 5G Vertical Engagement and Partnership Program (VEPP) initiative and invited Expression of Interest (EoI) to build strong collaboration partnerships across 5G use-case ecosystem stakeholders with emphasis to address user or vertical Industry needs. In order to multiply the 5G opportunities across the usage verticals, under the guidance of Secretary (Telecom), an Inter-Ministerial Committee chaired by Member (Technology), Digital Communications Commission is constituted with representatives from Ministry of Electronics and IT, Department of Science and Technology and relevant Vertical Ministries namely Agriculture, Health, Urban Affairs, Education, Power, Mines, Jalshakthi, Commerce, Ports, Railways, Heavy Industries, Road Transport, Tourism etc to facilitate collaborative efforts across stakeholders, an official statement said. “5G Vertical Engagement and Partnership Program” is being offered to industry verticals which have potential as testing cum breeding grounds for innovative 5G use cases, through an Expression of Interest (EoI) to enable close collaboration between User verticals and 5G Tech stakeholders (Service providers, Solution providers & partner OEMs), which can trigger a multiplier effect to try and finetune 5G digital solutions in respective economic verticals. In order to give fillip to the 5G use case development program, the DoT in partnership with other ministries and state government departments, startup hubs, would facilitate necessary approvals or regulatory clearances to enable use case prototyping or pilots or demos or trials at the user or vertical industry premises. Required experimental spectrum would also be facilitated on priority basis, it added. (UNI)