A generation ago, India’s telecom industry was known for quietly catching up in the global race for connectivity. Today, that narrative is being turned on its head as the country not only embraces the latest wireless technologies but also aims to lead the world into the future of communication. At the International 6G Symposium 2025 in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi set the tone, declaring India’s intent “not just to consume technology, but to co-create and co-lead the 6G revolution for the world.” This ambition is now shaping everything from village networks to satellite platforms, promising a new era of digital empowerment for Bharat.
India’s journey started with the realization that self-reliance in digital infrastructure is both a strategic and a social need. From rolling out one lakh indigenous 4G towers to building its own core 4G stack, the nation laid a strong foundation for homegrown innovation. Where 4G was once about catching up with global standards, today’s 6G vision marks India’s shift toward co-leadership, driving the creation of affordable, sustainable, and globally competitive communication networks. Over the years, startups, academia, and major industry players have joined hands, not only to develop faster and smarter telecom but also to set the standards that others must follow.
Now, the action is gathered under the Bharat 6G Alliance, a unique body that meshes the energy of over eighty organizations, including thirty-plus startups. These collaborators are not working in isolation; they are signing agreements with leading groups from the US, Europe, Japan, Korea, and Brazil, making sure Indian innovation is plugged into, and vital for, the global 6G stage. The Alliance’s working groups dive deep into topics ranging from green and sustainable signals to resilient supply chains and advanced AI for networks, driving a swadeshi spirit with global reach.
This push for leadership is more than just policy. On the ground, 115 R&D projects worth over ₹310 crore have been approved through the Telecom Technology Development Fund, supporting research on everything from spectrum management to advanced IoT applications. The establishment of 100 5G labs in colleges and universities ensures the next wave of engineers, scientists, and entrepreneurs will be 6G-ready. These labs help not just undergraduate and postgraduate students but also nearby startups and MSMEs, bringing the future into every corner of the country. The goal is to move past simple adoption toward indigenous invention, and to generate the patents and intellectual property that signal true arrival on the world stage.
It isn’t just about speed or sophistication. India’s 6G vision revolves around the idea of inclusion and universal access. The New Delhi Declaration at the 2025 Symposium stressed that 6G networks must be trusted, secure, open, interoperable, and, above all, affordable. The government insists on integrating satellite and high-altitude platforms with terrestrial networks for genuine coverage. This approach ensures that advanced imaging, microsecond response times, and real-time experiences, the hallmarks of 6G, don’t just reach metros, but small towns and villages too.
As Bharat steps up in the international arena, collaboration and knowledge exchange have become priorities. MoUs signed with NASSCOM and the European Space Agency aim to foster global research and innovation. At the Technology Innovation Hub in IIIT Bangalore, the focus is on building advanced communication systems, like reconfigurable intelligent surfaces and massive MIMO antennas, that will form the backbone of 5G advanced and 6G networks. The result is not just more robust and resilient systems; it is the birth of ideas and solutions first designed for Indian needs but soon to be exported worldwide.
Looking ahead, the impact is set to multiply. By 2035, India aims to contribute ten percent of all global 6G patents, with an economic impact that could add $1.2 trillion to India’s GDP. The satellite communications sector is projected to triple in size, strengthening links between rural communities, industry, and world markets. Indigenous research will bridge urban-rural divides, making digital access a right and not a privilege. This transition from technology adopter to creator marks a profound change, one in which India’s technological progress directly supports its vision of a Viksit Bharat, benefiting every stratum of society.
What unfolds in the years ahead is not just a story of faster signals, but of a nation rewriting digital possibilities for itself and the world. India’s quest for 6G leadership, powered by homegrown talent and global partnerships, is set to transform connectivity as we know it, connecting every citizen and launching Bharat into the forefront of the new communication age.