Jyotiraditya M Scindia, Minister of Communications and Development of North Eastern Region has inaugurated International 6G Symposium at sidelines of International Telecommunication Union (ITU)- World Telecom Standardisation Assembly (WTSA-24) and India Mobile Congress (IMC-24).
Addressing the inaugural event, Scindia highlighted the transformative potential of 6G, emphasising its role in driving economic growth and technological innovation. “As 6G standards evolve, the shift towards software-centric technology presents a significant opportunity for India, with our large pool of engineering and software talent. Bharat 6G Alliance (B6GA) will play a constructive role in standards-making process for 6G and 10 per cent of 6G Patents will come from India,” he said.
While talking about India’s growing image of becoming a Vishwa Bandhu, Scindia highlighted, “As the voice of the Global South, India will continue to advocate for technology that is inclusive and affordable for all.”
The event, organised by B6GA, marks a crucial milestone in India’s journey towards global leadership in 6G technology. The B6GA is a collaborative initiative of Indian industry, academia, national research institutions and standards organisations. It brings together various stakeholders to foster innovation, standardisation, and research in the field of 6G telecommunications and to contribute to global 6G standards through bodies like ITU and third generation partnership project (3GPP).
Highlighting India’s immense potential in 6G landscape, Scindia reiterated India’s ambition to lead global 6G ecosystem through B6GA. “While we actively contributed to the global 5G landscape, our aspiration now is to lead the world in 6G development, with strong international collaboration,” he added.
The symposium began with a welcome address by N. G. Subramaniam (NGS), Chair of B6GA, Chairperson of Tata Elxsi and Tejas Networks. “India is actively collaborating with industry, academia, and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to shape the future, one that empowers people on a large scale,” said Subramaniam.
Dr Neeraj Mittal, secretary (T), Department of Telecommunications (DoT) delivered the keynote address, stressing the importance of developing 6G infrastructure to position India as a global frontrunner in telecommunications. He emphasised the need for India to build robust 6G infrastructure and foster public-private partnerships to maintain a leading position in global telecommunications sector. “Developing a skilled workforce and collaborating with global academic institutions will be critical as we implement 6G over next six-eight years,” he said.
In addition, B6GA signed various memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with global collaborators, Next Generation Mobile Network Alliance, 5G Alliance for Connected Industries and Automation, Germany, UK- India Future Networks Initiative and UK Telecom Innovations Networks, 6G Forum (South Korea), 6G Brasil (Brazil). B6GA has already forged alliance with NextG Alliance of ATIS USA, 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association, European Council and 6G Flagship- Oulu University.
B6GA has constituted seven working groups deliberating specific areas of 6G, including spectrum, device technologies, use cases, standards, green and sustainability, radio access networks (RAN) and core networks, artificial intelligence (AI) and sensing, and security. The event saw the release of reports by working groups on applications, spectrum, 6G use cases and revenue streams and green and sustainability.
Moreover, Scindia had a meeting with chief executive officers (CEOs) and leaders of prominent telecom companies including Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, AMD, HFCL, Cisco Qualcomm India, GSMA and Viasat. The Minister urged industry leaders to deliberate on issues related to data centres and home broadband (BB)/ fibre-to-the-home (FFTH), artificial intelligence (AI)/generative AI (GenAI), TMZ, spamming, responsible behaviour, social inclusion and sustainability with a key objective to form actionable points to take India into next level of telecommunications.
In addition, a workshop was separately held with academicians of 5G use case labs by National Communications Academy, DoT, Ghaziabad and was attended by over 100 participants from premier 100 academic institutions, across India. Deliberations were held on applications and development of new use cases for 5G in industries, healthcare, smart grids, agriculture and education sectors, etc and possible network transformation with emerging technologies, etc.
The event marks the beginning of a new chapter in India’s digital journey, reinforcing country’s commitment to becoming a global leader in advanced communication technologies.
