With India emerging as a frontrunner in the world in terms of technology adoption, it has started engaging in close international cooperation to further strengthen its technological foothold. During the past one year, it has forged solid partnerships with the US, Japan, France, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Philippines, Trinidad and Tobago, etc., in various fields in the telecom and information and communications technology (ICT) domains.
For instance, India and France have committed to further deepening their cooperation in areas such as digital public infrastructure (DPI), cybersecurity, start-ups, artificial intelligence (AI), supercomputing, 5G/6G and digital skill development. The two countries have recognised rapid advancement and transformation in digital technologies and agreed to harness their respective strengths and philosophical convergence in their approaches to digitalisation. Further, the deployment of 5G networks is one of the six key focus areas of the US-India initiative on critical and emerging technologies (iCET). The US and its private sector are committed to expanding innovation, investments and knowledge sharing to drive shared prosperity. They are also aiming at starting an open, transparent and inclusive global digital economy. Similar partnerships in fields such as semiconductors, DPI, 5G and other emerging technologies, the space sector, etc., have been entered into, with other countries as well.
A look at some of India’s bilateral partnerships in the ICT space…
Building cooperation in the semiconductor domain
In March 2023, India and the US signed an MoU to build cooperation in the semiconductor space. The MoU aimed at establishing collaboration between the two governments on semiconductor supply chain resiliency and diversification in view of the US’s CHIPS and Science Act and India’s Semiconductor Mission. The MoU also envisages mutually beneficial research and development, skill development, a resilient supply chain, cooperation on start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises, entrepreneurship, etc.
Later, in August 2023, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) announced the first joint call for proposals under the MeitY-National Science Foundation (NSF) research collaboration. This MeitY-NSF collaborative research opportunity focuses primarily on discoveries and innovations in mutually beneficial fields, as underlined in the joint statement issued by the governments of India and the US in June, 2023. Proposals in the fields of semiconductor research, next generation communication technologies/networks/systems, cybersecurity, sustainability and green technologies, and intelligent transportation systems will be evaluated in the first joint call. The proposal submission period began on August 21, 2023 and will end on January 5, 2024.
Recently, the union cabinet approved the MoC between MeitY of India and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan on the Japan-India semiconductor supply chain partnership signed in July 2023. The MoC intends to strengthen cooperation between India and Japan towards enhancement of semiconductor supply chain, recognising the importance of semiconductor for the advancement of industries and digital technologies. The MoC will come into effect from the date of signature of the parties and will remain in force for a period of five years.
Constructing digital public infrastructure
During the DPI lecture at the International Monetary Fund headquarters in Washington in April 2023, the Philippines expressed that it wanted to partner with the US and India to construct DPI. The Philippines parliament speaker said that it is very important for the Philippines, India and the US to lead in this DPI initiative because nations have much to gain from this.
In June 2023, India and the US announced their plans to develop and deploy DPI in developing countries. As per a joint statement on the “US-India Global Digital Development Partnership”, the two countries stated that they will bring together technology and resources towards the initiative. This will include safeguards to protect privacy, data security and intellectual property. The governments of the two countries intend to work together to provide global leadership for the implementation of DPI to promote inclusive development, competitive markets and protect individual rights. Moreover, India and France committed to nurturing a thriving ecosystem and building collaborations that empower citizens and ensure their full participation in the digital century. To this end, National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) International Payments Limited (NIPL) and France’s Lyra Collect executed an agreement to implement a unified payment interface (UPI) in France and Europe. The payment mechanism is in its last phase of production and went live in September 2023 with the Eiffel Tower, Paris as the first merchant in France to accept UPI.
With a shared belief in the power of the DPI approach for the development of open, free, democratic and inclusive digital economies and digital societies, India and France have advanced multi-stakeholder exchanges through the India-France Structures (InFrastructures) and India France Innovation in Information Technology (InFinity) platforms.
Recently, the union cabinet approved an MoU between MeitY of India and the Ministry of Digital Transformation Technology of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on cooperation in the field of sharing successful digital solutions implemented at population scale for digital transformation. The MoU intends to promote closer cooperation and exchange of experiences and digital technologies-based solutions in the implementation of digital transformational initiatives of both the countries. The MoU will come into effect from the date of signature of the parties and shall remain in force for a period of three years. However, both government-to-government (G2G) and business-to-business (B2B) bilateral cooperation in the field of DPI will be enhanced.
Collaboration in 5G and other emerging technologies
During May 2023, the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) hosted a workshop focusing on US-India collaboration in 5G and next-generation networks. The workshop was attended by over 150 senior Indian and US participants. The event facilitated information exchange and highlighted potential avenues for technical and commercial cooperation between the two countries in the telecom sector.
Apart from 5G, India has been forging partnerships in fields such as cybersecurity and other emerging areas as well. In line with the Indo-French Roadmap on cybersecurity and digital technology, India and France reaffirmed their commitment to join forces of their cybersecurity agencies and related ecosystem partners in promoting a peaceful, secure and open cyberspace. As per the India-France bilateral document “Horizon 2047: 25th Anniversary of the India-France Strategic Partnership, Towards A Century of India-France Relations”, both countries emphasised their shared commitment to facilitating bilateral cooperation through enhanced connectivity between their respective start-up and entrepreneurial networks.
Recently, India and Japan agreed to strengthen bilateral and international collaboration in areas including national cyber policies and cybersecurity strategies, current cyberthreat landscape, 5G and open RAN technology developments. Both sides also discussed bilateral cooperation in the field of capacity building, as well as cooperation under the United Nations and Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD). The discussions took place during the fifth India-Japan Cyber Dialogue held on September 14, 2023 in Tokyo.
Bilateral coordination in the space sector
India and the US have also been strengthening their bilateral cooperation in the space sector, including human space flights. The two sides are exploring collaboration on astronaut training, crew rescue and other activities in human space flight. Under the India-US iCET launched by the national security advisers of both the countries, the US government had earlier mentioned bolstering human space flight cooperation; identifying innovative approaches to collaborate in the commercial space, including through a joint working group; and identifying new talent and encouraging exchanges by expanding the professional engineer and scientist exchange programme. Recently, India and the US set up a human space flight working group under iCET. The space cooperation between the two countries is expected to help India’s “Gaganyaan” human space flight mission.
Recently, India, Israel, the US and the UAE, under the I2U2 Group, announced a joint space venture aimed at creating a unique space-based tool for policymakers, institutions and entrepreneurs and enabling their work towards environment and climate change challenges. The announcement was made by the I2U2 on the sidelines of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
In October 2023, the Indian Space Association signed a significant MoU with GIFAS, the French Aerospace Industries Association, enhance the understanding of the space industry’s capabilities and increase awareness of business opportunities in France and India. The collaboration will help foster sustainable growth, and innovation and adoption of new space industry technologies in France and India. The MoU will act as an extension to the already flourishing Indo-French relationship in the space sector and augment the individual and collective membership bases of organisations with the benefit of greater international linkages for their members.
