Technology Advisory Group identifies key priorities for future telecom growth

Scientific Secretary Dr. Parvinder Maini said the meeting produced broad consensus on strengthening India's strategic autonomy across the telecom technology value chain.

The Technology Advisory Group (TAG), constituted by the Empowered Technology Group (ETG), has outlined key priorities to strengthen India's telecom sector through indigenous research, innovation and commercialisation. The fourth meeting of the group, chaired by Principal Scientific Adviser Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, brought together senior government officials, industry leaders, researchers, startups and academic experts to discuss the country's long-term strategy for next-generation communication technologies.

The meeting focused on identifying critical technology areas that require national research and development support while examining ways to strengthen India's capabilities in standards development, intellectual property creation, advanced manufacturing and resilient supply chains.

Prof. Sood said telecommunications now form the backbone of India's digital economy, supporting digital public infrastructure, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, industrial automation and other critical sectors. He stressed the need to build stronger indigenous capabilities across the entire telecom value chain to reduce technological dependence and enhance global competitiveness.

Focus on 6G, AI and indigenous technology development

Department of Telecommunications Secretary Amit Agarwal outlined India's vision of building a future-ready telecom ecosystem that extends beyond traditional mobile services to include data centres, satellite communications, non-terrestrial networks and AI-native communication systems. He said national initiatives should be aligned through an ecosystem-driven approach supported by long-term institutional mechanisms for technology development. Officials highlighted the role of the Digital Bharat Nidhi scheme in supporting research, innovation and early deployment of indigenous telecom technologies.

Telecom Technology Development Fund Deputy Director General Parag Agrawal identified strategic areas including 5G-Advanced, 6G, Open RAN, AI-native networks, cloud-native telecom systems, satellite communications and telecom semiconductors as key priorities for future investment. He also emphasised the importance of increasing India's participation in international standards bodies and establishing advanced telecom testbeds for research, validation and product development.

Stronger collaboration to turn research into global products

Experts from leading institutions, industry and startups called for a mission-driven approach to telecom innovation with greater emphasis on indigenous standards, standard essential patents (SEPs), semiconductor design and advanced product development. Discussions also highlighted opportunities in non-terrestrial networks, trusted data intelligence, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and stronger market access for Indian telecom products.

Participants agreed that India should become an active contributor to global telecom standards while creating policy and funding mechanisms that support the transition of technologies from laboratories to commercial markets. Recommendations included stronger government procurement support, expanded testing and certification infrastructure, incentives for domestic manufacturing and closer collaboration between academia, industry and startups.

Scientific Secretary Dr. Parvinder Maini said the meeting produced broad consensus on strengthening India's strategic autonomy across the telecom technology value chain. She highlighted the proposed Communication Technology Task Force as a mechanism to improve coordination and guide national priorities.

Concluding the meeting, Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood said the discussions had laid a strong foundation for shaping India's long-term telecom strategy and called for continued collaboration among government, industry, academia and startups to position the country as a global leader in next-generation communication technologies.