In a bold declaration at the inaugural address of the Indian Mobile Congress 2024 (IMC) on Tuesday, Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia has said that India will lead the world in the adoption of 6G.
In his address at the event, Scindia emphasized that India is now prepared to lead the world in the development of 6G technology.
India’s Technological Rise: From Following to Leading
"It is our belief and commitment that India, which followed the world in 4G and marched with it in 5G, will lead the world in 6G," Scindia stated.
The minister highlighted India's remarkable achievements in the telecommunications sector over the last ten years, the country has become a global leader in innovation and technology.
"It's a fundamental change in approach towards technology development," he said, attributing this transformation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.
Telecom Sector Growth Under PM Modi's Leadership
"Prime Minister who has always put people at the heart of progress Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas Sabka Vishvas aur Sabka Prayas combined with his second motto, One Earth, One Family and One Future. It is combination of these two mottos that leads India under PM Narendra Modi leadership one of the leading sectors in the committee of Nations," Scindia said.
Scindia underscored government's initiatives to bridge the digital divide, particularly through the BharatNet program, the world's largest rural broadband connectivity initiative to connect every panchayat of the nation. Over the past three years, the government has invested more than USD 10 billion and laid 7 lakh kilometres of fiber across rural India.
Digital Payments and UPI: Pillars of India’s Digital Economy
He cited staggering growth in mobile and broadband connectivity, with mobile connections rising from 94 million to 1.16 billion, and broadband users growing from 60 million to 924 million in just a decade. India's optical fibre cable (OFC) networks has expanded from 11 million kilometers to 41 million kilometres over the last ten years, he added.
The minister further said that this growth is accompanied by the success of India's digital payment systems, the 4G stack, and the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), which serve as pillars of India's digital economy are expected to contribute significantly to the global digital infrastructure.
Scindia further noted that the government's efforts to ensure that policy frameworks keep pace with the rapidly evolving digital landscape. "The recent changes to the Telecommunications act 2023 is a case in point. It has been drawing light upon hither to undressed areas such as a high potential sector of satellite communications, addressing the challenges of the digital leader. The most important being cyber security. The telecom sector much like other growth critical sectors in India is aggressive, is ambitioushe said.
"The telecom sector much like other growth critical sectors in India is aggressive, is ambitious and its outlook in our Journey from Amritkal to Shatabdikal is to lead the world," Scindia said. By mid-next year, India will have achieved 100 per cent saturation of 4G across the entire country, covering even the most remote villages, the minister said.
He emphasised PM Modi's vision of India as a first mover in 6G technology, underscoring the nation's resolve to lead the world in future telecom innovations.
"The attitude put forward by the prime minister of not just embracing, but raising ourselves to becoming the first mover in the 6G technology," he added.
