India Reviews Progress on 6G Vision, Strengthens Innovation Push

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had unveiled the Bharat 6G Vision in March 2023, setting the target of making India a leading contributor to the design, development and deployment of 6G technology by 2030.

India has taken another step towards its goal of becoming a global leader in next-generation telecommunications, with the government reviewing the progress of the Bharat 6G Alliance (B6GA) and calling for stronger collaboration across research, industry and academia to accelerate the country's 6G ambitions.

The review meeting was chaired by Union Minister for Communications and Development of North Eastern Region Jyotiraditya M. Scindia at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development Dr. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani and Telecom Secretary Amit Agrawal also attended the meeting.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had unveiled the Bharat 6G Vision in March 2023, setting the target of making India a leading contributor to the design, development and deployment of 6G technology by 2030.

India Builds Stronger 6G Ecosystem

The meeting reviewed the work of the Bharat 6G Alliance, which operates through seven specialised working groups covering areas such as spectrum, technology, applications, sustainability, manufacturing, outreach and future 6G use cases.

Officials highlighted the rapid growth of India's telecom research ecosystem. Organisations that are part of the alliance now collectively hold more than 7,700 patent filings related to 5G and 6G technologies, including over 4,400 international patent filings.

India's participation in the global 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has also expanded significantly. The number of Indian participants increased from 717 in 2020 to 1,787 in 2025, while technical contributions rose sharply from 196 to 2,943 over the same period.

Focus on Research, Standards and Manufacturing

The review also included an update from the Telecom Standards Development Society, India (TSDSI) on India's role in global 6G standardisation.

Participants stressed the importance of ensuring that Indian technologies, innovations and use cases contribute to internationally accepted 6G standards while strengthening domestic research, manufacturing and testing capabilities.

Discussions covered indigenous technology development, energy-efficient communications, spectrum planning, advanced devices, sensors, manufacturing ecosystems and stronger cooperation between government, industry, startups, research institutions and academia.

Scindia said India has made significant progress since the previous review meeting and encouraged the working groups to identify areas where they can collaborate more closely. He also called for benchmarking India's progress against global 6G initiatives to identify opportunities for further improvement.

IIITDM Kurnool Leads 5G Lab Awards

The event also recognised outstanding institutions through the 5G Labs Excellence Awards for their performance between January and June 2026.

IIITDM Kurnool emerged as the top performer, securing first place in all four award categories:

• 5G Lab Excellence Award

• 5G Lab Utilisation Excellence Award

• 5G Lab Engagement Excellence Award

• 5G Lab Innovation Excellence Award

Other institutions recognised included DKTE Textile & Engineering Institute, IIT Roorkee, IIT Ropar, PEC Chandigarh, THDC Institute of Hydropower Engineering & Technology and IIIT Delhi.

Aiming for Global Leadership in 6G

Dr. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani said the Bharat 6G Alliance has successfully brought together industry, startups, research organisations and academic institutions to build a strong foundation for India's future telecommunications ecosystem.

The meeting concluded with an open discussion among stakeholders on technology development, standardisation, spectrum management, sustainability, manufacturing and future applications. Participants agreed that closer collaboration and continued investment in research, testing and innovation will be essential to position India as a major global hub for 6G technology, standards and deployment.