Union Minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia inaugurates International 6G Symposium
Bharat 6G Alliance Expands Global Collaboration with Key MoUs Signed at the
Symposium
“Bharat 6G Alliance will play a constructive role in the standards-making
process for 6G.”: Scindia
Jyotiraditya M
Scindia, Minister of
Communications and Development of North Eastern Region, inaugurated the
International 6G Symposium today at the sidelines of ITU-WTSA24 and IMC 24.
Addressing the
inaugural event, Minister Scindia highlighted the transformative potential of
6G, emphasizing its role in driving economic growth and technological
innovation. "As 6G standards evolve,
the shift towards software-centric technology presents a significant
opportunity for India, with our large pool of engineering and software talent"
he said.
Scindia also added that, "Bharat 6G Alliance will
play a constructive role in the standards-making process for 6G and 10% of 6G
Patents will come from India."
While talking about India's growing image of becoming a Vishwa Bandhu, Minister Scindia shared
that, "As the Voice of the Global South, India will continue to advocate
for technology that is inclusive and affordable for all."
The event, organized by
the Bharat 6G Alliance, marks a crucial milestone in India's journey towards
global leadership in 6G technology. The Bharat 6G Alliance is a collaborative
initiative of Indian industry, academia, national research institutions and
standards organizations. It brings together various stakeholders to foster
innovation, standardization, and research in the field of 6G telecommunications
and to contribute to global 6G standards through bodies like the ITU and 3GPP
(Third Generation Partnership Project).
Highlighting India’s
immense potential in the 6G landscape Shri Scindia reiterated India’s ambition
to lead the global 6G ecosystem through the Bharat 6G Alliance. “While we actively contributed to the global 5G
landscape, our aspiration now is to lead the world in 6G development, with
strong international collaboration," he added.
The symposium began
with a welcome address by Mr. N. G. Subramaniam (NGS), Chair of the Bharat 6G
Alliance, Chairperson of Tata Elxsi, and Chairperson of Tejas Networks. “India is actively collaborating with industry,
academia, and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to shape the future, one
that empowers people on a large scale,” said Mr. Subramaniam.
Dr Neeraj
Mittal, Secretary Telecom, delivered the keynote address, stressing the
importance of developing 6G infrastructure to position India as a global
frontrunner in telecommunications. He emphasized the need for India to build
robust 6G infrastructure and foster public-private partnerships to maintain a
leading position in the global telecommunications sector. "Developing a skilled workforce and
collaborating with global academic institutions will be critical as we
implement 6G over the next 6-8 years," he said.
The Bharat 6G
Alliance(B6GA) signed various Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with global
collaborators, NGMN Alliance (Next Generation Mobile Network Alliance), 5G ACIA
(5G Alliance for Connected Industries and Automation), Germany, UKI-FIN (UK-
India Future Networks Initiative) & UK TIN (UK Telecom Innovations Networks),
6G Forum (South Korea), 6G Brasil (Brazil). B6GA has already forged alliance
with NextG Alliance of ATIS USA, 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry
Association (6G IA), European Council and 6G Flagship- Oulu University.
B6GA has
constituted 7 working groups deliberating specific areas of 6G, including
spectrum, device technologies, use cases, standards, green and sustainability,
RAN and core networks, AI and sensing, and security. Today’s event saw the
release of reports by working groups on Applications, Spectrum, 6G Use Cases
& Revenue Streams and Green & Sustainability.
Earlier in the day, Scindia had a breakfast meeting with CEO’s & leaders of
prominent telecom companies including BSNL, C-DOT, Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio,
AMD, HFCL, Cisco Qualcomm India, GSMA and Viasat. The Minister urged industry
leaders to deliberate on issues related to Data Centres and Home BB/FFTH,
AI/Gen AI, TMZ, Spamming, Responsible Behaviour, Social Inclusion and
Sustainability with a key objective to form actionable points to take India
into the next level of telecommunications.
In addition, a
workshop was separately held with the academicians of 5G Use Case Labs by
National Communications Academy, Department of Telecommunication, Ghaziabad and
was attended by over 100 participants from premier 100 academic institutions,
across the country. Deliberations were held on applications and development of
new use cases for 5G in industries, healthcare, smart grids, agriculture and education
sectors, etc. and the possible network transformation with emerging
technologies, etc.
The workshop also
focussed to disseminate information about the global standards development by
ITU and opportunities for the Academicians to participate in ITU
Standardization activities. The workshop chaired by Deb Kumar Chakrabarti, DG
NCA and panellists included Prof Rohit Budhiraja (IIT Kanpur), Prof Chandra
Murthy (IISc), Prof Sunil Jha (IIT D), Prof Dinesh Bharadia (University of
California, San Diego), Mr. Thomas Basikola(ITU),Niels Koenig(FIPT, Germany), Bharat
Bhatia, CEO, IAFI. Speakers from DoT, RJIO, Niral Networks, Rebaca Technologies
and other premier Academic Institutes, Telecom Service Providers &
Industries from India and abroad and International Telecommunication Union also
participated.
These discussions and
developments are part of the side events of the ongoing WTSA 24 & IMC-24
being held in New Delhi. The event marks the beginning of a new chapter in
India’s digital journey, reinforcing the country's commitment to becoming a
global leader in advanced communication technologies.
WTSA 2024, organised by the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU), serves as a platform for the development and
implementation of global telecommunications standards, uniting regulators,
industry leaders, and policymakers to shape the future of communications
worldwide.