India stated the local 6G alliance will involve 75 companies
India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has officially launched the Bharat 6G Alliance (B6GA), an initiative aimed at fostering the development of 6G technology in the country, according to a government statement.
The DoT stated the local 6G alliance will involve 75 companies.
The government also said that the initiative will be a “collaborative platform” with the goal of achieving universal and affordable connectivity, promoting indigenous technology and establishing the country as a global leader in the telecom sector by supporting local development and deployment of as-yet-unstandardized “6G” systems.
“A pivotal objective of B6GA is to accelerate and facilitate market access for Indian telecom technology products and services, thereby enabling India to emerge as a global leader in 6G technology. To achieve this vision, B6GA will foster coalitions and synergies with other 6G global alliances, thereby nurturing international collaboration and the exchange of knowledge,” the statement reads.
To support the advancement of 6G technology, the Indian government has allocated funds through the Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF). This funding will be utilized for two projects: A 6G terahertz testbed with orbital angular momentum (OAM) and multiplexing, and an advanced optical communication testbed.
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The 6G THz testbed project, undertaken by a consortium consisting of SAMEER, IIT Madras, IIT Guwahati, and IIT Patna, aims to explore the potential of 6G technology using terahertz frequencies and advanced multiplexing techniques. The government highlighted that this research will pave the way for the development of 6G applications and services.
“Bharat 6G Alliance will provide a platform for developing and articulating India’s views on 6G applications besides improving the network coverage, capacity, inclusivity and experience of mobility. The goal is to foster collaborative research & innovation so that India can shape the evolution of the 6G network,” said N. G. Subramaniam, founder chair of B6GA.
India’s Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the country has so far acquired over 200 patents of 6G technology. “We should keep a minimum target that 10% of the 6G IPR (intellectual property rights) are from India by the time we reach 2029 or 2030,” the minister said.
The United States, the European Union and China have also previously created specific alliances for the development of future 6G systems.