Explained | Why is India taking 6G seriously? Premium

Over 45,000 villages in India lack 4G connectivity, and 5G networks are still being built. So why is the government moving in the direction of 6G now?

On March 22, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the Bharat 6G Vision Document, a starting point for policymakers and the industry to gear up for the next generation of telecommunications. This is happening even as over 45,000 villages lack 4G connectivity, and 5G networks are still being built out. So why is the government moving in the direction of 6G now?

The Government has indicated that it wants to accelerate India’s wireless data consumption lead and assume leadership in setting the standards for 6G in the coming years. This may involve everything from encouraging local manufacturing of telecom gear to supporting Indian companies and engineers in international discussions around standardisation. Influence in the latter is key, as telecommunications standards are usually adopted globally.

Another key motivation is the delay in previous generations of telecommunications technology rolling out in India — 5G started rolling out here years after countries like South Korea and the United States had already blanketed their major urban areas with high-speed wireless connectivity. India does not want a repeat of that; the government even says in the 6G vision document that it wants to make sure it grabs 6G “from the oven”.

Yet another reason is pure physics: frequencies generally increase in newer generations of networks, but the lower the frequency, the longer a cell signal can travel. With increasing data usage, lower frequencies in 4G networks may not physically be able to keep up with the demand for traffic.

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The government says so in plain terms: “Right now, the spectrum is congested, particularly in the low and mid-bands where the propagation characteristics are favourable,” the vision document says. More data can travel in higher frequencies, which is the basis for 5G architectures where base stations with low coverage took the place of a single larger cell tower.

Beyond encouraging greater participation in standardisation discussions, the vision document says the government will financially support “research pathways” where breakthroughs are most likely to advance connectivity goals, leveraging talent in academia and companies. The government said an “apex body” will be set up to shepherd these groups through roadblocks.