Editorial – April 2023

The Bharat 6G Mission of the government has several planks and would focus on new hardware, software, unutilized spectrum at very high frequencies, AI and ML engines, quantum photonics and computing technologies, space-based assets and devices with new user interfaces, sensors and displays that promise to unleash the so-called Tactile Internet.

6G is expected to unleash a plethora of opportunities, reduce gaps in regional and social infra, tackle immigration from the rural hinterland to cities and related challenges. The government’s aim is to make India a leader in the 6G space. For this purpose, the Technology Innovations Group had set up six Task Forces. The recommendations include: extensive research in mmWave and Terahertz communications, fiber-broadband, Tactile Internet and Remote Operations, multi-sensor man-machine interfaces and devices leveraging edge cloud computing resources. The 6G Mission will have the requisite financial support and all priority research areas will be formulated through stakeholder consultations in industry and academia.

India’s 6G mission is divided in two phases. The first phase (2023-2025) will be devoted to proof of concept implementations and associated risks while the second phase (2025-2030) will be focussed on service delivery. For all details on technology, consumption patterns and what other countries are doing in the 6G ecosystem, read our cover story.

The future technology is all about connected devices, namely Internet of Things (IoT), there are 5 billion devices now and in few years this is projected to touch 50 billion. Proliferation of IoT will be profoundly impacted by 5G and going forward also 6G. We also bring to you the key deliberations from CII’s Internet of Things Summit.