In Short:
In a recent meeting in New Delhi, Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, Minister of State for Communications, encouraged telecom leaders to advance technologies like 6G, edge computing, and quantum communications. He emphasized the transformation of India’s telecom sector into a global leader. The Telecommunications Development Fund supports local innovation, with a $60 million budget for projects like 5G labs, while the PLI Scheme has attracted $450 million in investments.
NEW DELHI: Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, the Minister of State for Communications, has called on leading executives within the telecom sector to prioritize the transition of next-generation technologies, including edge computing and quantum communications, from research labs to practical, real-world applications.
Opportunities in 6G Development
According to a statement from the Ministry of Communications, Sekhar emphasized that “this is our opportunity to lead the rollout of 6G and create partnerships that will unlock new business models for Industry 4.0 and smart cities.”
Discussions with Industry Leaders
During the meeting, top leaders and chief technology officers (CTOs) from prominent telecom companies and startups, including Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT), Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea, Ericsson, Qualcomm, STL, Edge-Core, and Astrome, discussed the necessity for more 5G-driven use cases, such as Narrowband-Internet of Things (NB-IoT). They also highlighted the need for enhanced backhaul fiberization of mobile towers.
Collaborative Discussion Platform
Pemmasani, who also serves as the Minister of State for Rural Development, hosted this meeting on the sidelines of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)-World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly-2024 (WTSA-24) and the ongoing India Mobile Congress-2024. This event provided a platform for CTOs to openly discuss the challenges they encounter and to explore possible solutions.
India’s Transformative Telecom Journey
“India’s telecom story is one of transformation. A decade ago, we were merely a service delivery market; today, we are leading in 5G, IoT ecosystems, and indigenous tech manufacturing. New India has moved from ‘Made for India’ to ‘Made by India,’” stated Pemmasani, as noted in the official statement. He outlined various initiatives undertaken by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to strengthen the Indian telecom ecosystem, including the establishment of the Telecom Technology Development Fund, which aims to promote indigenous design, development, prototyping, and commercialization of advanced telecom technologies.
Financial Support for Innovation
With an annual budget of $60 million, this fund supports projects related to 5G, 6G, IoT, and M2M technologies, and has facilitated the establishment of 100 5G labs across the nation. Sekhar also discussed measures taken to enhance domestic manufacturing, investment, and exports in telecom and networking products, highlighting the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme launched in 2021. This initiative, with a financial outlay of $1.4 billion over five years, provides additional incentives for companies investing in domestic research and development, having already attracted over $450 million in investments and generated approximately $6 billion in sales.
