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Govt reviews 6G progress, sets targets for 2030 goal
Union minister of communications Jyotiraditya Scindia said India must move from being a follower in telecom technology to becoming a creator
Union minister of communications Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday chaired a meeting of the Apex Council under the Bharat 6G Mission, reiterating its goal of making India a global leader in 6G by 2030. The government reviewed India’s progress toward developing 6G technology and set expectations for the next phase of work.
The meeting saw attendance of senior officials, researchers, industry leaders, telecom operators and members of the Bharat 6G Alliance (B6GA), a group that brings together various industry, government and non-goverment stakeholders to push India’s 6G research and innovation.
Scindia urged the seven working groups under the B6GA to work more closely and meet regularly. He said India must move from being a follower in telecom technology to becoming a creator, and called for setting measurable quarterly targets for each working group. He added that the benefits of 6G should reach all citizens, including those in rural areas.
The minister of state for communications, Chandrasekhar Pemmasani, said the Alliance has released eight technical papers on areas such as spectrum, AI-driven networks, green telecom and new applications, calling it evidence of India’s shift from “technology implementer to technology creator.”
The government also highlighted a major boost to research through the newly approved ₹1 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund under the Department of Science & Technology. This fund, anchored within the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), is expected to support essentials for 6G such as AI-native networks, semiconductor design, photonics, cybersecurity, advanced sensing and satellite-based communication.
To showcase progress in 5G research, Scindia released three booklets documenting the achievements of 100 5G use-case labs set up across higher-education institutes. These labs have been working on experiments, prototype development and real-world applications.
Awards were also given to the top-performing labs. The institutions recognised in the “Excellent Category” include Punjab Engineering College, Banasthali Vidyapith, IIT Roorkee (AMRIT), and Thapar University, for innovations ranging from agriculture and healthcare solutions to 5G-RIS systems, transport safety tools and AI-powered applications.
