Dr Neeraj Mittal, secretary (P), DoT, and chairman, Digital Communications Commission
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has played a pivotal role in driving growth in the telecom sector and enabling it to scale new heights. Dr Neeraj Mittal, secretary (P), DoT, and chairman, Digital Communications Commission, shared his views on the progress of the 5G network roll-out in the country, the development of 4G/5G indigenous technology, the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and 6G initiatives at various industry events over the past year. Edited excerpts from some of his addresses…
5G roll-out in India
India is at the cusp of transformative change and aims to be self-reliant in the telecommunications sector. The country’s 5G roll-out is among the fastest in the world. The speed of broadband has increased manyfold; however, tariffs have been reduced to the lowest. Furthermore, India has the second-largest telecom network in the world.
Development of indigenous 4G/5G technology
India has surprised the world with the development of indigenous 4G and 5G technologies in a short period of time. The prime minister’s “Make in India” initiative has seen phenomenal success in terms of both telecom and non-telecom equipment manufacturing. Today, India has 100,000 start-ups and this presents a great opportunity for countries to collaborate with India.
Efforts to safeguard customers
To prevent fraud, DoT is coming up with a portal where banks and the Unique Identification Authority of India can check for disconnected mobile numbers. We will be able to get inputs from all service providers and flag those mobile numbers that we have disconnected to various other agencies such as bankers and Aadhaar, as mobile numbers have become a common denominator as a proof of identity.
The deployment of AI solutions, including generative AI (GenAI), will gain ground on the back of India’s 5G network. Further, AI has been used to develop solutions to ensure compliance with licensing conditions, remove the possibility of fraud at the point of sale, and ensure that the telecom ecosystem is reliable as a basic infrastructure for digital services.
Further, DoT has started initiatives such as AI and facial recognition for telecom SIM subscriber verification (ASTR) to identify fraudulent mobile connections. So far, we have been able to identify 6 million duplicate faces and eliminate 5 million of them after reverification.
Regulating and standardising AI
It is crucial that we use AI technology for the good of people, bridge the digital divide and provide good quality services. The government is cognisant that this needs to be done and thus, cross-sectoral programmes have been started as well.
Along with regulation, the issue of standards also takes centre stage. The government is taking the lead in creating standards for AI adoption in an ethical way. The telecom standards-setting organisation, the Telecommunication Engineering Centre has taken the lead in setting up the use of AI in an ethical manner. We have already published several documents and have also entered into an MoU with academic institutions, in particular the Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi (IIITD). The government is further looking at ways to regulate AI.
6G initiatives in India
DoT has taken several steps to integrate and accelerate 6G research and innovation in the country, ensuring that India contributes as the original creator to the technology’s development and manufacturing by 2030.
In a significant move, DoT has set up a Technology Innovation Group with members from across the supply chain to develop the vision, mission and goals for 6G and its delivery in India. The steps include the formation of six task forces focusing on multidisciplinary innovative solutions, multi-platform next-generation networks, spectrum for next-generation requirements, devices, standards for contribution and funding, and research and development.
These task forces have deliberated and are focusing on innovations to leverage new technologies to subsequently enable the Bharat 6G mission. To further this objective, the Bharat 6G Alliance aims to promote ecosystem research, design development, intellectual property rights creation, and manufacturing, amongst others. The alliance’s role was visible in its MoU with the US-based ATIS’s Next G Alliance. Going ahead, we will be able to work together by leveraging global supply chains towards this end.
In addition, DoT has signed two agreements for the 6G test bed project, with a focus on orbital angular momentum and multiplexing as well as advanced optical communications.
