Govt plans launch of 6G  tech by 2030

“The vision document presented today will become a major basis for the 6G rollout in the next few years,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday, unveiling the Bharat 6G Vision document.

The Bharat 6G mission, which has been introduced in the vision document, mission aims to position India as a global leader in 6G innovation and foster development and digital inclusion for its citizens.

India plans to develop standards for 6G technology in the first phase of a mission that will span two years starting in 2023, followed by the second phase involving building a 6G ecosystem over the following five years until 2030. The goal is to provide high-speed internet that is about 1,000 times faster than the 1 Gbps top speed of 5G.

“The new 5G technology promises a speed range of 40 – 1,100 Mbps with the potential to hit maximum speeds of 10,000 Mbps through technologies such as millimetre-wave spectrum and beamforming. While 5G itself seems very futuristic as of now, 6G will offer ultra-low latency with speeds up to 1 Tbps,” the vision statement said.

Speeds of up to 1 Tbps are expected to ease machine-to-machine and human-to-machine interactions and transform the development and use of virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR), mobile edge computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and other technologies, according to the vision document. By 2030, the government expects spectrum requirements to double from current levels as India works to provide 100 Mbps connectivity to all people or achieve significant 5G coverage in the next seven years.

“Spectrum Requirements 2030 (5G+ and 6G): Likely to double from the current planned spectrum quantities,” the document noted.

India foresees 6G use cases such as remote-controlled factories, constantly communicating self-driven cars and smart wearables taking inputs directly from human senses. The government also intends to make India a leading supplier of advanced telecom technologies and solutions.

The government has also set up a 22-member apex council comprising its representatives, Vinod Dham, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd chief operating officer N.G. Subramaniam and representatives from academia and startups that will lay down the phase-wise objectives of the mission.

The first phase of the initiative will provide support for explorative ideas, risky pathways, and proof-of-concept tests. Once use cases have been established, implementational IPs and test beds will be created, ultimately leading to commercialization in the second phase.

In addition to this, the Prime Minister also launched a 6G research and development test bed alongside a ‘Call before u Dig’ app. The app is designed to prevent damage to assets, such as optical fibre cables, caused by uncoordinated digging and excavation. This damage has led to an annual loss of approximately ₹3,000 crore for the country.The PM also inaugurated an area office and innovation centre of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies. The area office will serve India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Afghanistan and Iran, enhancing coordination among nations.