On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled India's 6G mission, which aims to create a focused initiative for next-generation technology in India, as well as the official 6G testbed project, which will allow for research on new network techniques.

The government established the Bharat 6G project and appointed an apex council to supervise it. India has 1.2 billion digital subscribers, making it the world's second-largest telecom market.

At the event, PM Modi stated that the 70 million e-authentications and 8 billion UPI transactions occurring every day digitally make India the most connected democracy in the world.

To create a vision for India's 6G roadmap, the government established a 22-member innovation group led by telecom secretary K Rajaraman in November 2021.

Opening up the 6G airwaves is part of India's efforts to gain a significant foothold in the global supply chain for evolving technology like satellite and terrestrial communication equipment and components.

A group of Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), including those in  Madras and Guwahati, are working together to construct the 6G testbed.

The project will offer an R&D Platform to Indian start-ups, researchers, industry, and other broadband wireless applications such as e-governance, smart cities, rural broadband, and other Digital India initiatives under Atmanirbhar Bharat.

According to Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, India's 5G deployment will surpass a few hundred thousand sites within a few months. He emphasised that the average time required to obtain permissions for the construction of telecom towers has dropped from 222 days to just seven days.

The Department of Telecommunications has stated that India is aiming to participate in international discussions, currently working on setting 6G standards and pursuing technological innovations because 6G is foreseen to serve as a unified platform for satcom (satellite communication) and terrestrial networks.

Additionally, the Prime Minister launched the first Area Office & Innovation Center of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in India.

ITU is a specialised agency of the UN for information and communication technologies (ICT). ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin, who is currently in India, states that the new office will help ITU to coordinate better with India and other countries in the region.

Bogdan-Martin explained that In the digital revolution, India is a role model. The innovation center is located in one of the world's best innovation hubs.

India recently won a significant portion of the Radio Regulations Board (RRB) elections, a top ITU body in charge of allocating frequencies to countries and resolving disputes, showing that it has its sights set firmly on the ITU.