Why in News?
India has joined the US-led global partnership on 6G, which was announced by the US Department of Commerce. The partnership promotes accelerated development of secure and reliable 6G wireless networks and includes the US and 24 other countries.
Key Highlights
- The partnership promotes a coordinated approach to national strategies for 6G, approaches to network security and collaboration in research, innovation, and standardisation. Countries such as the UK, Germany and Japan are members.
- India's membership is in keeping with the India 6G Vision released in March 2023 which seeks to position India as a front-runner in contributing towards the design, development and deployment of 6G technology by 2030.
- It also promotes India-US cooperation in advanced technologies, with the two nations discussing 6G at the sidelines of the G20 Innovation Ministerial, where US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and India's Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada met.
About 6G
- 6G or the sixth generation of cellular networks is the next generation of wireless technology expected to move towards initial commercial deployment around 2030 and wider commercial availability in the early 2030s.
- 6G is expected to provide a major improvement in connectivity performance, energy efficiency, cost efficiency and network programmability.
- It will also support emerging applications such as autonomous mobility, mixed reality, massive digital twins, integrated communication and sensing, and non-terrestrial networks.
India and 6G
India's participation in the global 6G initiative aligns with its India 6G Vision, launched in March 2023, which seeks to make India a frontline contributor to the design, development and deployment of 6G technology by 2030. India's involvement also provides an opportunity to contribute to global 6G standards, research and technology development.
