To promote universal and affordable connectivity, develop indigenous technology, and lead 6G technology development, the Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, announced the Bharat 6G Alliance (B6GA) and its website. B6GA is a collaborative platform comprising public and private companies, academia, research institutions, and standards development organisations.
B6GA’s focus is to understand the business and societal requirements of 6G beyond technological aspects, establish agreement on these needs, and encourage impactful, open research and development projects. It will encourage the building of partnerships and synergies with other 6G global alliances and facilitate international collaboration and the exchange of knowledge in the field of 6G technology.
B6GA will drive the design, development, and deployment of 6G technologies in India. By accelerating standards-related patent creation within the country and actively contributing to international standardisation organisations, B6GA will position India at the forefront of 6G innovation, the government has said.
At the B6GA launch event, two agreements were signed for projects with a grant of IN 2.405 billion (US$ 29.3 million) under the Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF). The first agreement is for the development of a 6G THz Testbed with Orbital Angular Momentum (OAM) and Multiplexing, involving a consortium comprising the Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research (SAMEER), the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-Madras), IIT-Guwahati, and IIT-Patna.
The second agreement is for the establishment of an Advanced Optical Communication Test Bed, with consortium members including IIT-Madras, IIT-Delhi, the Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Delhi, and several other private players in the telecommunications industry. Additionally, under the Digital Communication Innovation Square (DCIS), it was announced that a grant of IN 480 million (US$ 5.8 million) will be provided to 66 startups and MSMEs.
Devusinh Chauhan, the Minister of State for Communications, said that India is a bright spot in the global economy, with the telecom sector being the brightest spot within the country. He applauded the stakeholders for their efforts and highlighted the various citizen and industry-centric reforms that have resulted in a transparent spectrum auction of over IN 1.5 trillion (US$ 18.3 billion) in just 42 days. He also acknowledged the remarkable achievement of deploying 270,000 5G sites within 9 months, which is one of the fastest rollouts worldwide. The minister expressed appreciation for the awardees’ contributions and recognised the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders, leading to the indigenous development of 4G and 5G technologies. He said that with the Bharat6G Alliance, India is poised to take a leadership position in 6G technology.
During his address, Minister Vaishnaw highlighted the transformative reforms in the telecom sector. Over the past nine years, these reforms have positioned the telecom sector as a sunrise industry. Some key achievements include the reduction of data costs from IN 300 (US$ 3.6)/GB in 2014 to IN 10 (US$ 0.012)/GB in 2023, a significant decrease in the time for the Right of Way permission from 230 days to 9 days, and a fourfold increase in BTS sites to 2.5 million.
Other achievements include an increase in FDI in the telecom sector to US$24 billion and substantial investments of over IN 2.25 trillion in 5G. Also, the expedited allocation of spectrum to Telecom Service Providers within 24 hours after the auction and the transformation of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) into a market stabiliser with operating profits.
Moreover, the installation of over 270,000 5G towers, at a rate of approximately one tower per minute, has positioned India as one of the top three 5G ecosystems globally. India is also exporting technology to 12 countries, including the USA, and has achieved a 99% 4G footprint with efforts underway to ensure 100% connectivity.
