On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled India’s vision document, which highlights the country’s confidence in its telecom technology. Modi stated that initiatives around 6G within six months of the 5G rollout demonstrate India’s progress from being a mere consumer of telecom technology to becoming a major exporter. The vision document, released by the Department of Telecom, states that 5G technology promises speeds of 40-1,100 Mbps with the potential to hit a maximum speed of 10,000 Mbps. In contrast, 6G will offer ultra-low latency with speeds up to 1 terabit per second, which is 1,000 times more than the top speed of 5G.
At the same event, Modi inaugurated the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Area Office and Innovation Centre, which is fully funded by India and will help create the right environment for 6G in the country. Modi emphasized that trust and scale are India’s two main powers and without them, technology cannot reach every nook and corner of the country. He also highlighted India’s digital inclusion success story, stating that the number of internet users has increased from 25 crore in 2014 to 85 crore. Internet connections in rural areas have overtaken those in urban centres, demonstrating the way digital power is reaching every corner of the country.
