DoT Launches Bharat 6G Alliance to Drive India’s technological progress in the Telecom Sector

On July 3, 2023, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT),Ministry of Communications (MoC) launches Bharat 6G Alliance (B6GA) to propel India’s technological progress in the telecom sector. In this regard, the B6GA website (https://bharat6galliance.com) was also launched.

• The formation of B6GA was announced by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, MoC, in the presence of Devusinh Chauhan, Minister of State(MoS) for Communications.

What is B6GA?

B6GA is a collaborative platform in India, bringing together startups, companies (both public and private), academia, research institutions, global technology alliances, associations, and standards development organizations.

Its goal is to lead the development and deployment of 6G technology in India, and to make India a leading global supplier of IP (Internet Protocol) products and affordable 5G, 6G, and future telecom solutions.

• B6GA will deploy 6G technologies to act as a powerful force multiplier for India by 2030.

Key Points:

i.It will understand the business and societal needs of 6G beyond technology requirements, and promote high-impact open R&D initiatives.

ii.It will promote technology ownership and indigenous manufacturing, create a culture of technology co-innovation, reduce imports, and boost export opportunities.

iii.It will accelerate standards-related patent creation in India and actively contribute to international standardization organizations such as 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) and ITU (International Telecommunication Union).

Funding for 6G technology projects:

A grant of Rs 240.51 crores under the Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) has been allocated to support the advancement of 6G technology.

This fund will be used for 2 projects: the 6G THz Testbed with Orbital Angular Momentum (OAM) & Multiplexing and the Advanced Optical Communication Test Bed.

i.6G THz Testbed with Orbital Angular Momentum(OAM):

This project will be undertaken by a consortium consisting of SAMEER (Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research), a Research and Development (R&D) lab under the Department of Electronics, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY); IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) Madras (Tamil Nadu), IIT Guwahati (Assam), and IIT Patna (Bihar).

• It aims to explore the potential of 6G (Sixth-Generation Wireless) technology using terahertz (THz) frequencies and advanced multiplexing techniques for the development of 6G applications and services.

ii.Advanced Optical Communication Test Bed project,

It will be undertaken in collaboration with IIT Madras, IIT Delhi, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Delhi, and several industry players, focusing on creating an advanced test bed for optical communication technologies.

• This initiative will spur innovations in areas like telemedicine and telesurgery, revolutionizing healthcare services in India.

Note for TTDF: Launched by DoT/USOF in October 2022, 5% of annual collections from USOF (Universal Service Obligation Fund) are available for TTDF Scheme for funding research & development of technologies, products, and services.

Digital Communication Innovation Square (DCIS) initiative:

During the event, grants totalling Rs 48 crore were awarded to 66 startups and MSMEs (Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises) under Digital Communication Innovation Square (DCIS) initiative which fosters innovation and entrepreneurship.

• DoT felicitated 75 innovators for their contributions to the field, and exceptional achievements.
• DoT under DCIS Scheme has been funding such startups and MSMEs .

India’s Achievements in Telecom Sector:

1. Four-fold increase in BTS (Base Transceiver Station) sites to 25 Lakh
2. FDI in Telecom Sector has increased to 24 billion Dollar
3. Over 2.7 lakh 5G tower have been installed almost at a rate of 1 Tower per minute making India among Top three 5G ecosystems in the World.
4. Japan has aligned with India on Digital Payment system of India.
5. Over 1,600 crore investments in Telecom Manufacturing under PLI (Production Linked Incentive)
6. Over 200 patents in 6G technology
7. Advancement in zero latency Advanced optical communication for fields like Telemedical and Telesurgery.

Recent Related News:

i.On March 27, 2023, MoC Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, and Devusinh Chauhan, Minister of State for Communications, inaugurated the Two days ‘First International Quantum Communication Conclave’ which was held on 27-28 March 2023 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

ii.India Post Payments Bank (IPPB), under the ownership of the Department of Post, the Ministry of Communications, partnered with New Delhi (Delhi)-based Bharti Airtel Limited to launch banking services through WhatsApp for its customers.

About Ministry of Communications (MoC):

Union Minister– Ashwini Vaishnaw (Rajya Sabha, Odisha)
Minister of State– Devusinh Chauhan (Constituency-Kheda, Gujarat)