Bharat 6G Mission: PM Modi launches India’s 6G project, official testbed

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday unveiled India’s 6G mission which aims to create a focussed initiative for the next generation tech in India, and the official 6G testbed project that will allow research on new network techniques to take place.

The government has constituted a Bharat 6G project and appointed an apex council to oversee it. India is the second largest telecom market globally, with 1.2 billion digital subscribers.

Speaking at the event, PM Modi said India is the most connected democracy in the world, where 70 million e-authentications and 8 billion UPI transactions occur digitally daily.

In November 2021, the government formed a 22-member innovation group headed by telecom secretary K Rajaraman to create a vision for the 6G roadmap in India.

Opening up 6G airwaves is a part of India’s efforts to attain a key toehold in the global supply chain for emerging technology such as satellite and terrestrial communication gear and components.

The 6G testbed is being co-developed by a consortium of various Indian Institute of Technology (IITs), including those in Guwahati and Madras.

The project will provide an R&D Platform to start-ups, researchers, industry and other broadband wireless applications in India like e-governance, smart cities, rural broadband or other Digital India initiatives under Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Within a few months, India’s 5G deployment will cross a few hundred thousand sites, Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said. He stressed that the average time needed to secure permissions for setting up telecom towers has decreased from 222 days to just seven days.

Given how 6G is expected to serve as a convergence platform for satcom (satellite communication) and terrestrial networks, the Department of Telecommunications has said that India is aiming to participate in global discussions, currently working on setting 6G standards and pursuing technological innovations.

New ITU office

The Prime Minister also inaugurated the first Area Office & Innovation Centre of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in India.

ITU is the United Nations’ specialised agency for information and communication technologies (ICT). The new office will help ITU coordinate more with India and other countries in the region, ITUs Secretary General Doreen Bogdan-Martin, currently in India, said.

“India is a role model in the digital revolution. The innovation centre is in one of the world’s best hubs for cutting edge innovation,” Bogdan-Martin said.

India has firmly set its sight on the ITU, recently winning a key segment of the elections at ITU’s Radio Regulations Board (RRB), a top body administering frequency allocation to nations and resolving disputes.