The ONDC Beta Version is now available in five additional Indian cities

ONDC, a government project, announced on Wednesday that its beta version is now available in Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata. The Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) is a DPIIT (Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade) project.

It stated that, in addition to Bengaluru and Meerut, which were picked for beta launch in September and December 2022, respectively, the network is now available to buyers (consumers) and sellers in these five more locations.

According to the company, consumers will be able to buy from sellers on the ONDC network using four active buyer applications: Paytm, Mystore, Spice Money, and Magicpin.

Currently, the network includes over 40,000 merchants in over 200 locations, with over 18,000 dealers based in these five cities.

ONDC began its alpha roll-out in five locations in April 2022 to test live transactions with a small number of vendors and buyers before progressively increasing its scope.

The key goal of going beta is to give users their first taste of the open network, receive real-time feedback, and test the network at scale before it is rolled out across India.

"We hope that with this beta announcement, more and more businesses will be inclined to join us, benefiting from an early-mover advantage," stated T Koshy, MD and CEO of ONDC. Furthermore, as we reach new customer areas, we gain insights and chances to strengthen the network."