Mumbai, May 17 (IANS): While rolling out 5G across the country, standards would assume centre stage, Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan said here on Wednesday.

"As we get closer to understanding the technical challenges associated with the roll out of high speed, pervasive and reliable 5G networks, standards will assume centre stage. India was not centerstage when earlier networks such as 2G, 3G and 4G were rolled out globally. 5G however presents a great opportunity to us," Sundararajan said.

She was addressing the 5G India 2018 International Conference here.

Broadband India Forum (BIF), along with the Consumer Unity and Trust Society International (CUTS) on Wednesday released a report on ICT standardisation and its importance in order for India to secure a leading edge in 5G.

"The Indian communications market is amongst the largest in the World, and it is vital that we join hands with administrations, industry and academia across the world to shape future communication networks," said Sundararajan.

The report takes account of the macro and micro economic effects of standardization, both in terms of the work conducted by Standards Development Organizations (SDOs) as well as when such efforts lead to the development of new & innovative products and services.

India currently stands at a crucial juncture as the government is looking to successfully reap the potential benefits of an increasingly digitised economy, in light of the not so distant roll-out of the 5G technology.

"The discussion on standards andthe critical role that they play in the larger economic context is crucial,and its relevance cannot be overestimated in the case of developing nations such as India," said T.V. Ramachandran, President, Broadband India Forum.