India set to lead global 6G revolution: Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia

India is resolved to lead the world in 6G, communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Tuesday, terming the telecom sector of the country as 'aggressive' and 'ambitious'. Scindia, speaking at the inauguration of India Mobile Congress and World Telecommunication Standardisation (WTSA) 2024, said with the Bharat 6G Alliance, India hopes to contribute at least 10 per cent patents to 6G standardisation.

"It is our belief and our commitment -- India followed the world in 4G, we marched with the world in 5G, but we shall lead the world in 6G," the minister asserted.

With the fastest 5G rollout in India wherein 98 per cent of districts and 90 per cent of all villages were covered in a span of just 21 months, Scindia said it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi 's effort of not just embracing, but bracing the country to become the first-mover in 6G technology.

"It is noteworthy that the Indian Mobile Congress and the International 6G Symposium demonstrates both local and global advancements in 6G, and also design principles that will shape the future of telecom," he further said.

The recent changes to the Telecommunications Act 2023 have been designed in such a way so as to modernise India's telecom framework, drawing light upon hitherto unaddressed areas such as the high potential sector of satellite communications, addressing the challenges of the digital era, the most important being cyber security, Scindia said.

"The telecom sector, much like other growth-critical sectors in India, is aggressive, is ambitious, and its outlook in our journey from Amrit Kaal to Shatabdi Kaal is to lead the world," he said.

India Mobile Congress (IMC) is an annual event organised by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI). IMC 2024 will see participation from over 400 exhibitors, nearly 900 startups, and participation from 120+ countries. About 3,200 delegates from over 160 countries are part of the WTSA assembly.

"We are confident that this (WTSA), along with the Indian Mobile Congress in its 8th edition... will serve as a breeding ground for innovation, but also showcase India's impending but inevitable emergence as a global hub for telecommunications across the world," Scindia said.