I'm from a former soviet republic, so I know what leads to this kind of thing, but it's still horrifying to have stated so matter-of-factly.

Detroit had the same problem with copper wiring in street lights until a few years ago, when they went LED and were able to reduce the size of the conductors and switch to aluminum, reducing the value of stripping them for scrap.

Didn't we already learn (post-WWII US) that aluminum wiring is an unreliable idea?

No. The problem was in the 70s, with single strand solid conductors which were legal for only a few years due to fire hazards. Multi-strand aluminum is still used all the time. The single strand can work itself loose if installed quickly/without proper care due to expansion and contraction, it's not a concern for multi-strand. Single strand is also ok for a dedicated line to a single appliance / load, which is what these lights would be.

There is functioning aluminum wiring all over the place in america, still operational to this day. I just has problems with overheating and catching fire if the load is too big. If you know the load will never change...

Better unreliable wiring than stolen wiring?

Oh, I know the feeling. In my hometown in Brazil they've installed these very tall LED poles with spikes because of thieves. People here will even steal your old thongs or plant vase if you leave them outside. It's insane.

Also happens in South Africa but they steal batteries and sell them for a good profit: https://youtu.be/P2gSsN8NlRg

Would 5g service be a better solution?

Everyone has wifi enabled hardware to use as a client, no one has 5g hardware, so no?

In 1000 days everyone will have 5g service on their phones

Many people in first world countries will. Some people in first world countries and probably most in Indian villages don't even have 4g yet. So I doubt that in 1000 days they will have 5g when we are barely producing any devices today with that capability.

The reason they don't have 4g now is mostly because there's no 4g service, not because people can't afford 4g enabled phones. I'm pretty sure by now 4g phones are just as cheap as 3g phones.

New phones, yes. But many people don't have new phones. Especially in poorer places.

1000 days if substantially shorter than the lifecycle of phone models. New cheap phones today don't have 5g, you see the timing issue?

How do they access internet right now? Whatever that is, it will continue to be available. Those who want something better will upgrade their phones.

Not so soon and definitely not in India.

The same could be said about having fiber to every village, yet here we are discussing just that.

5g still needs backhaul infrastructure.

Yes, we’re talking about the last mile

if the WiFi devices are ubiquitous, then there would be less incentive to steal.

Copper is quite ubiquitous too, yet some still steal live cables