New Delhi: In a bold announcement at the inaugural session of the Indian Mobile Congress 2024 (IMC) on Tuesday, Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia proclaimed that India is set to lead the world in the adoption and development of 6G technology.
During his address, Scindia highlighted India’s readiness to spearhead the next generation of telecommunications. “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,” he stated confidently.
The minister emphasized the nation’s remarkable strides in the telecommunications sector over the past decade, attributing this progress to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visionary leadership. “It’s a fundamental change in approach towards technology development,” Scindia noted, praising the transformative policies that have positioned India as a global innovation hub.
He referenced the Prime Minister’s guiding principles of inclusive growth, quoting, “The Prime Minister has always put people at the heart of progress—’Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, aur Sabka Prayas’—combined with his motto, ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future.’ This combination propels India under PM Modi’s leadership to be a leading nation among the global community.”
Scindia underscored government initiatives aimed at bridging the digital divide, particularly the BharatNet programme—the world’s largest rural broadband connectivity initiative—which aims to connect every panchayat in the nation. Over the past three years, the government has invested more than $10 billion and laid 700,000 kilometers of fiber across rural India.
He highlighted the explosive growth in mobile and broadband connectivity, with mobile connections soaring from 94 million to 1.16 billion and broadband users increasing from 60 million to 924 million within a decade. India’s optical fibre cable network has expanded from 11 million kilometers to 41 million kilometers over the last ten years.
The minister also pointed to the success of India’s digital payment systems, the 4G stack, and the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), which serve as pillars of the country’s digital economy and are expected to contribute significantly to the global digital infrastructure.
Addressing policy advancements, Scindia mentioned the government’s efforts to keep regulatory frameworks in step with the rapidly evolving digital landscape. “The recent changes to the Telecommunications Act, 2023, are a case in point. It sheds light on previously unaddressed areas such as the high-potential sector of satellite communications and tackles the challenges faced by digital leaders, with cybersecurity being paramount,” he explained.
Scindia affirmed the ambitious and aggressive outlook of India’s telecom sector, stating, “Its outlook in our journey from Amrit Kaal to Shatabdi Kaal is to lead the world.” He announced that by mid-next year, India aims to achieve 100% saturation of 4G connectivity across the entire country, reaching even the most remote villages.
Concluding his speech, Scindia emphasized PM Modi’s vision of India as a pioneer in 6G technology. “The attitude put forward by the Prime Minister is not just about embracing change but elevating ourselves to become the first movers in 6G technology,” he added.
