Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Area office and Innovation Centre in New Delhi today. He also unveiled Bharat’s 6G Vision Document at the event alongside launching the 6G R&D Test Bed and the ‘Call before u dig’ App.
“Today, when India is presiding over the G-20, reducing the regional divide is one of its priorities. When we talk about bridging the technological divide, it is very natural to expect from India,” said the Prime Minister addressing the event.
During the event, the Prime Minister also emphasised that “telecom technology is empowering our citizens in India”.
ITU is the United Nations’ specialised agency for information and communication technologies (ICTs). It is headquartered in Geneva and has a network of field offices, regional Offices and area offices.
The ITU Area Office is fully funded by India and is located on the second floor of the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT) building at Mehrauli New Delhi. It will serve India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Afghanistan and Iran, promoting economic cooperation in the region.
Bharat 6G vision document is prepared by the Technology Innovation Group on 6G (TIG-6G) that was constituted in November 2021. The group has 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.
The 6G Testbed will provide academic institutions, industries, start-ups, and MSMEs, and industry, among others, a platform to test and validate evolving ICT technologies. Along with the Bharat 6G Vision Document, the 6G Testbed will provide an enabling environment for innovation, capacity building and faster technology adoption in the country.
Coming to the Call Before You Dig (CBuD) app, it is a tool developed to prevent damage to underlying assets like optical fibre cables, that occurs because of uncoordinated digging and excavation, leading to loss of thousands of crore every year. The mobile app will connect excavators and asset owners through SMS/Email notifications and click to call so that there are planned excavations in the country while ensuring the safety of underground assets.
(With inputs from ANI)
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