PM Modi launches 6G test bed, says roll-out in next few years

Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the 6G vision document and said today’s India is rapidly moving towards the next step of the digital revolution

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday launched the 6G research and development test bed and hinted that it will be rolled out in the country in the next few years.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the ITU Area office & Innovation Centre in Delhi on Wednesday. (PTI)

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.

“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,” Modi said.

He added that the country was working towards 6G just after 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.”

ITU is the United Nations’ specialised agency for information and communication technologies (ICTs). Headquartered in Geneva, it has a network of field offices, regional offices and area offices. India signed a Host Country Agreement in March 2022 with ITU for the establishment of Area Office.

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.

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.

“India is working with many countries to change the work culture of the whole world with the power of 5G,” he said. “Be it 5G smart classrooms, farming, intelligent transport systems or healthcare applications, India is working fast in every direction.”

The three pillars — Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and mobile (JAN) — is an example of India effectively using technology., he said. “Telecom technology for India is not a mode of power, but a mission to empower,” the PM added.

The PM also highlighted the rapid digitisation that has taken place in the country. “From 6 crore users 2014, today there are over 80 crore broadband users,” he said. “More people in rural country are leveraging digital power than urban people. This shows how digital power is reaching every corner of the country.”