New India’s 5G Technology And 6G Testbed: A testimony of Aatamnirbhat Bharat & Digital India in Amrit Kaal.

The 21st Century is often said to be the Era of Bharat. Bharat has been making significant strides in every aspect ranging from the Social sector to the development of its technology. The Indic ideas are spreading rapidly and they are greatly helping in transforming the world. The Indian government since 2014 has been very successful in terms of improving the digital infrastructure in Bharat. On this line the rapid spread of 5G technology and the start of testing for developing the 6G technology is a very big step indeed.

In a remarkable stride towards a digitally empowered future, India is making significant progress in the field of telecommunications. With the adoption of 5G technology and the current research taking place to develop 6G, the country is on it’s way for developing faster, more connected, and technologically advanced lifestyles. India’s rapid rollout of 5G services since October 2022 is indeed impressive. India’s major telecom companies like Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (VI) were actively participating in upgrading their networks to support 5G technology. As of August 2023, 5G services are already available in over 500 cities and towns across the country. This indicates a significant expansion of coverage within a relatively short period of time.

The Indian government has set an ambitious target of covering the entire country with 5G by 2024. This suggests a strong commitment to advancing the digital infrastructure and connectivity in India. Achieving this target would require extensive investment in network infrastructure, spectrum allocation, and regulatory frameworks. Capital expenditure required for 5G network rollout pan-India including spectrum, sites and fibre is estimated to be Rs 1.3 lakh crore – 2.3 lakh crore, of which Rs 78,800 crore – Rs 1.3 lakh crore is estimated for metro cities and ‘A’ circles.

It’s important to note that the availability and implementation of 5G services can vary across different regions and cities within a country. While the government’s target is to cover the entire country by 2024, the actual progress may vary depending on factors such as infrastructure development, technological challenges, and regulatory processes. The government has set up 100 5G labs across the nation which will provide the researchers and developers with the access to the latest 5G technologies and infrastructure. Be it 5G smart classrooms, farming, intelligent transport systems or healthcare applications it shows that India is emerging as a leader in 5G technology .This will help the government to create more jobs for our youths and reduce India’s dependency on imported equipment’s.

The next big question is that are we just happy with our performance in the present day or are we thinking about the future? And the answer is very clear, under the leader of our Prinister Shri Narendra Modi India released its 6G vision just five months after 5G was announced in the country under the title “Bharat’s 6G vision” which envisages India to be a front-line contributor in design, development and deployment of 6G technology by the year 2030. The 6G mission will be implemented in two phases . The first phase will be implemented between the years 2023 -2025 and the second phase from 2025- 2030 will be implemented. Through which soon India will become the leader for this 6G network like 5G. Bharat 6G technology is based on the fundamental principles of Affordability, Sustainability and Ubiquity. As industry’s evolution is towards the cellular wireless access for 6G.According to many reports, it’s a drive for establishing the hard-core foundation of technically advanced 6G over 5G.Hence Indian government is taking initiatives to enhance these technologies. Government is investing in 6G research at leading Indian universities and also research institutions.

On March 23, 2022, India launched its first 6G testbed. India’s 6G testbed is one of the first in the world .The testbed is being developed by a consortium of Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and other leading research institutions involving eight institutions led by IIT-Madras. This testbed will test and validate new technologies and research advancements for 6G. Artificial intelligence (AI) will play a very crucial role in 6G, as facilitating advanced features like autonomous communication , intelligent networks and enhanced security. 6G is likely to operate in tera hertz (THz) frequencies , which would enable the faster rate of data transmission than the 5G’s gigahertz (GHz) frequencies. The vision document has recommended the creation of 10000 crores funds in INR to facilitate the service over the coming ten years to the required industry. India now has a total of 127 global patents for 6G technology. Also, to develop new 6G based applications and services. In the future, this will surely help to ensure that ‘Bharat’ is at the forefront of 6G development. As 6G is expected to revolutionize communication with unprecedented speeds, ultra -low latency, and seamless connectivity will be able to transmit more data in less time, allowing the users with a smoother experience. The 6G vision document released by department of Telecommunications(DoT) states that while 5G technology provides a speed of 40-1100 Mbps with it’s full potential to hit maximum speed of 10000 Mbps ; 6G will soon offer the people with ultra -low latency with speeds up to 1 tera bit per second. It is 1000 times more than the top speed of a 5G network. Therefore, opening the doors for industries yet not in one’s mindset.That means in the coming years even more exciting developments can be expected. Thus, it can be concluded that while we are still in the early stages of deploying 5G networks globally, it is very much clear that the industry has planned something out of the box.This progressive approach will not only revolutionize the way we interact but also position India as a pioneering nation in this digital era, attracting investments and driving the growth of it’s digital economy. It sets a precedent for other nations to follow in the pursuit of technological excellence.