Views of Dr Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani: “6G can add $1 trillion to the economy by 2035”

The year 2025 was a period of rapid scale-up and greater ambition for India’s telecom and digital ecosystem. The key developments during the year included the expansion of 5G coverage, stronger momentum in telecom manufacturing driven by policy support, and a renewed focus on improving broadband roll-out through reforms such as Right-of-Way [RoW] Rules and the National Broadband Mission [NBM] 2.0. The sector also witnessed growing interest in next-generation technologies such as 6G and artificial intelligence (AI), alongside prioritising service delivery, security and inclusion. Dr Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development, spoke about these themes and the way forward at various events during the year. Edited excerpts from some of his addresses…

 

The Indian telecom sector is accelerating its journey with focused energy, clarity of purpose and a strong resolve. We stand ready, not merely as a market or consumer but also as a creator, partner and trusted provider of world-class telecom solutions. Our shift from being a technology consumer to a technology creator within a few years did not happen by chance.

This journey began a decade ago with Make in India and Digital India, and has evolved into a comprehensive digital ecosystem that connects citizens and empowers businesses. Therefore, India now hosts over 850 million internet users and has the most affordable data rates in the world.

Making in India and made by India

The production-linked incentive scheme for telecom and network products has catalysed domestic manufacturing hubs. It has attracted investments worth Rs 40 billion, generated sales of more than Rs 800 billion and created substantial employment opportunities while building self-reliance in critical telecom equipment. Support from the Telecom Technology Development Fund has also nurtured indigenous research, development and innovation, helping change the narrative from Made for India to Made by India.

Under Make in India, we have developed significant domestic 4G and 5G equipment manufacturing capabilities. Around 2014 and 2015, only about 60 million mobile phone units were produced in the country against imports of around 210 million units. By 2025, total production stood at over 330 million units, with only 3 million units being imported, while 50 million units are exported.

Scale, quality and the constraints we must address

Spectrum policies have also evolved to ensure fair allocation, optimal utilisation and affordable access. India achieved one of the fastest 5G roll-outs globally, deploying more than 470,000 base transceiver stations across the country in just over two years. 5G coverage has expanded to over 80 per cent of the population, bringing high speed internet to previously underserved rural communities.

But challenges still exist. Spectrum limitation is an issue for exponential growth in data usage. Security threats have increased. Current 5G networks consume significantly higher power, challenging sustainability goals. Although connectivity has reached 80 per cent of India’s rural population, 20 per cent still needs to be reached, and latency still limits real-time applications in robotic surgery, autonomous vehicles and industrial automation.

Unlocking broadband with RoW reforms

With the launch of NBM 2.0, we have set targets for 2030, including 100 per cent village broadband connectivity, 80 per cent household broadband penetration and fibre connecting 90 per cent of telecom towers, along with 5G densification and 6G readiness.

Yet one factor holds us back – cumbersome RoW approvals. Operators face inconsistent processes, prolonged delays and arbitrary charges from local authorities. The Telecommunication RoW Rules, 2025 aim to address this through single-window clearances, time-bound approvals with deemed approval, uniform restoration-based charges, infrastructure sharing and common ducting, support for small cells and in-building solutions, and the integration of digital infrastructure into planning from day one.

AI with purpose and innovation with values

We stand at a turning point in history. AI is not just another technology. It is a transformative force that will reshape how we live, work and progress as a civilisation. Innovation without ethics is dangerous, and innovation without purpose is divisive. The real question is whether we guide this transformation towards justice, opportunity and shared prosperity.

India has already shown what innovation for good looks like. Aadhaar gave a billion people digital identity and access to welfare
with dignity, and the Unified Payments
Interface (UPI) transformed digital payments into a public good – real time, low cost and universal. Open Network for Digital Commerce is democratising e-commerce, ensuring that it is not monopolised. The Department of Telecommunications has worked on a digital intelligent platform, a financial fraud risk indicator, combating fraud with AI. It saved Rs 14 billion within three months and blocked 4.8 million fraudulent transactions.

India’s private sector is also contributing significantly to uplift millions of people with AI. In healthcare, Niramai’s thermal breast cancer screening tool was able to screen 100,000 people at mass scale using pattern recognition with 92 per cent accuracy, without radiation exposure. In agriculture, precision farming can provide 15-20 per cent higher crop yields while saving 30 per cent water.

IndiaAI Mission and the ecosystem approach

Under the IndiaAI Mission, with a budgeted outlay of Rs 100 billion, we will create a national AI compute infrastructure accessible to researchers, start-ups and enterprises, develop indigenous foundation models that reflect India’s languages and values, provide high quality anonymised data sets while protecting privacy, skill millions of youths, and fund and mentor AI start-ups. This will promote AI that is fair, explainable, transparent and inclusive.

The responsibility to innovate does not rest with the government alone. Academia, industry, start-ups and international partners form the collective force required to push boundaries responsibly and deploy with purpose. India has emerged as the world’s third largest start-up ecosystem with 190,000 start-ups currently, and patent filings have doubled from 40,000 in 2014 to over 80,000 in 2025. For me, the message is clear: the future belongs to ecosystems, not monopolies.

6G to shape the digital landscape

The world is moving towards 6G now. 6G is not merely an incremental improvement; it is a fundamental transformation of how everyone connects. It will utilise terahertz frequency bands, enabling data rates of up to 1 terabyte per second, 100 times faster than 5G. 6G networks will be highly intelligent, self-optimising and self-healing, with predictive resource allocation through integrated AI. If developed effectively, the next-generation technology can enable three-dimensional connectivity from underwater to aerospace. Nations that develop 6G standards and intellectual property will shape the digital landscape for decades to come.

In India, 6G can add $1 trillion to the economy by 2035. Indigenous 6G development can ensure that secure communications are developed within the country. We missed leadership opportunities in 2G, 3G and 4G when we were technology adopters. With 5G, we became a fast follower. With 6G, we have the greatest opportunity, and a responsibility, especially for geopolitical security.

Mission-mode execution and accountability

The Bharat 6G Mission is a call for India to lead the design, development and deployment of 6G technologies by 2030. Over 111 research projects have been funded with a sanctioned amount of Rs 3 billion, and India ranks among the top six nations globally in 6G patent filings.

But we must be honest with where we are and where we are going. When we have all of us on one platform, there is also a risk of dilution of responsibility. This must be addressed with mission mode execution and clear specifications regarding who is doing what. We have to identify talent in India and across the world and reach out to them, because many people want to contribute but do not know how to
approach the government.

For anything to be successful, it has to generate revenue. We should involve such sectors in prototypes from now onwards. Money is not the limitation. If there are bottlenecks, ministers and the secretary are available to fast-track them, and every three months we should come back with clear milestones on what has been accomplished and what is needed.

Prioritising service, trust and delivery

In 1990, to get a landline, I had to go to a local MLA for a recommendation. But today everybody has mobile phones and two to three SIMs. It has been an extraordinary journey, especially for India. We have achieved quite a bit, whether it is 3G, 4G, the fastest roll-out of 5G, the largest number of mobile internet users, or even the lowest data rates.

But we have much greater responsibilities. One is reviving Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL). It is not about making money for BSNL, it is about reviving trust in public sector units. Another is ensuring the success of BharatNet, and doing it with world-class monitoring and project
execution just like the private sector.

I also looked closely at Sanchar Saathi and the digital intelligence platform. These were built at a very low cost, with speed and accuracy, and now banks are using the financial fraud risk indicator system to prevent fraud.

The road ahead

Communications is going to change rapidly, whether it is 6G, quantum communication or satellite technologies. It is important to stay engaged in advanced technologies and learn continuously. If we keep mission- mode focus and accountability, and build ecosystems that are made in India but for the world, we can move from being fast followers to being leaders.