5G will be a game changer for telecom sector: DoT Secretary

New Delhi: Telecom is a "critical" sector with direct impact on economic growth, employment and other crucial domains like healthcare and agriculture, and the advent of 5G will strengthen this connect, DoT Secretary Anshu Prakash said on Monday.

Addressing the Asean-Trai program on 'capacity building and sharing of best practices in policy regulation and development', Prakash said the sector is also playing a major role in empowering citizens, contributing to better governance and enhancing transparency.

"Telecom is critical, it is a core infrastructure sector with direct impact on economic growth, on employment and on other sectors because other sectors ride on telecom.

Digital connectivity is an integral part - be it finance, agriculture, healthcare, and with the advent of 5G this linkage will certainly emerge stronger," Prakash said.

Speaking on the occasion, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) chairman RS Sharma said information and communications technologies are all pervasive, and hence security of systems and data safety are becoming increasingly important.