New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the 6G research and development test bed, while hinting that it will be rolled out in the country in the next few years. Inaugurating the new International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Area Office and Innovation Centre in Delhi, the Prime Minister also unveiled the Bharat 6G Vision Document, which is set to become the basis for the 6G roll-out.
Modi in his speech said that India had the fastest 5G roll-out in the world in more than 125 cities in just 120 days. “Today’s India is rapidly moving towards the next step of the digital revolution. India (has had) the fastest 5G roll-out in the world as 5G services have been rolled out in more than 125 cities in just 120 days and 5G services have reached approximately 350 districts in the country,” he said.
He added that the country was working towards 6G just 6 months after the 5G roll-out. “The vision document presented today will become a major basis for the 6G roll-out in the next few years.”
According to a statement released by the government, Bharat 6G vision document has been prepared by the Technology Innovation Group on 6G (TIG-6G) that was constituted in November 2021 with members from various Ministries/Departments, research and development institutions, academia, standardisation bodies, Telecom Service Providers and industry to develop a roadmap and action plans for 6G in India.
“6G Test Bed will provide academic institutions, industries, start-ups, MSMEs etc. a platform to test and validate the evolving ICT technologies. The Bharat 6G Vision Document and 6G Test Bed will provide an enabling environment for innovation, capacity building and faster technology adoption in the country,” the statement said.
In addition, Modi also launched the ‘Call before u Dig’ mobile application to reduce the instances of unnecessary digging and damage.
He underlined that India’s favourable policy environment is the reason for the rapid development. “India has two key strengths – trust and scale. We cannot take technology to all corners without trust and scale. The entire world is talking about India’s efforts in this direction,” he said.
