India prepares for 6G rollout as PM Modi announces R&D test-bed facility
Within six months of the 5G rollout, the Indian government on Wednesday announced its first attempt at making the future-generation wireless communication standard 6G available as soon as possible in the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a 6G research and development (R&D) test-bed facility, alongside a ‘Bharat 6G Vision Document’ at Vigyan Bhawan during the inauguration ceremony of the new International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Area office and Innovation Centre.
“Within six months of 5G, we are already talking about 6G technology. This shows the confidence of India,” Modi quipped at the event.
India wants to be on par with other nations that have already begun working towards the 6G technology. With the 5G rollout, the Indian government managed to shorten the gap between the deployment times of new wireless communication technology in different nations. For India, telecom technology is not just a mode of power but a mission to empower. India rolled out 5G connections in more than 125 cities within 120 days and similarly India will set up 100 5G labs in the coming years, Modi informed the gathering.
Noting that India’s 5G standards are part of the global 5G systems, the prime minister said that India will also work closely with ITU for the standardisation of future technologies. Modi underlined that the new Indian ITU Area office will also help in creating the right environment for 6G.
He announced that the World Telecommunications Standardisation Assembly of ITU will be held in October next year in Delhi where representatives from all over the world will visit India.
India signed a Host Country Agreement in March 2022 with ITU for the establishment of an Area Office. It will serve India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Afghanistan, and Iran, enhancing coordination among the nations and fostering mutually beneficial economic cooperation in the region.
Modi also said that reducing the regional divide is one of the key priority areas for India during its G20 presidency. “Today, when India is presiding over the G20, one of our priorities is to reduce the regional divide. Global South is making major strides in bridging the technological divide,” the prime minister said on the occasion, adding that the ITU Area office and Innovation Centre will also play a key role in this.
He went on to add that more than Rs 800 crore UPI-based digital payments are made in India every month and every day over seven crore e-authentications take place.”More than Rs 28 lakh crore are directly transferred to citizens’ bank accounts through Direct Benefit Transfer,” he added.
— Written with inputs from IANS
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