6G in India: Scindia outlines Bharat 6G Alliance, global standards push

India aims to collaborate with global bodies such as the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to create a common technical framework for 6G technology to ensure global interoperability across devices, networks and services, said Union Minister of Communication, Jyotiraditya Scindia.

“6G will not only represent exponential jumps in speed and latency, but I really believe it’s the next leap for human civilisation from a digital and technology perspective…This new exponential leap goes beyond connectivity, it relates to the concepts of intelligence, immersiveness and limitless possibilities,” Scindia said at the international 6G standardisation conference, organised by the Telecommunication Engineering Center (TEC).

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Scindia said India has formed the Bharat 6G Alliance in 2022 with the aim to contribute 10% of global standards and global patents as 6G evolves. The alliance has seven working groups working on research and development of standards and technologies.

The next-generation network is expected to offer speeds up to 1 TB per second with latencies measured in microseconds. Scindia said, combined with artificial intelligence, 6G will create an intelligent internet of everything that will enable groundbreaking applications such as remote surgeries and holographic classrooms.

“Working with both 3GPP and ITU will ensure that we develop shared technical standards across radio interfaces, core networks, spectrum use, and service architecture which is the call of the hour,” Scindia said.

He added that clear global standards will guide Indian researchers, startups and industries to align investments, transform laboratory breakthroughs into real-world applicable solutions.

However, the technology must also ensure open standards ensuring inclusive growth and indigenous innovation. “Open standards create that level playing field for ensuring that nations contribute to technology, build intellectual property, and ensure that all the benefits reach every single marginal citizen across the length and breadth of the globe,” the minister said.

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Over the last decade, India has seen explosive growth in the telecom sector, Scindia said. Broadband connections jumped from 60 million in 2014 to over 1 billion today. At the same time, data costs have fallen by 97%, making India’s data one of the most affordable in the world. This has enabled a robust digital highway which currently supports about 20 billion UPI transactions a month, representing over 50% of the world’s digital transactions.

The minister said India has also drastically transformed its manufacturing capabilities, adding that India now makes 100% of its smartphones domestically where it once made only 20% of all smartphones sold in the country. He said mobile phone exports have become the country’s top export crossing $30 billion annually, creating around 30,000 jobs.