India is working on indigenous 6G technology with the goal of bringing it to market either by late 2023 or early 2024, Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said Tuesday.
In his speech on “New Technologies and the Green Economy: Two Trends Shaping a New India?”, The fourth in a series of online webinars organized by the Financial Times and The Indian Express, Vaishnaw said the required Scientists and engineers working on the technology have already been granted permits.
“The development of 6G has already started. That will show up sometime in the 2024 or 2023 timeframe. This is the direction we are going. We will have developed telecommunication software in India to run the networks, telecommunication equipment made in India that will be served in Indian telecommunication networks that can be global, “he said.
In addition to 6G, domestic 5G is also due to be rolled out, the minister said, with development of core software for the technology expected to be completed by the third quarter of next year. The auctions for 5G frequencies are also expected to take place in the second quarter of the calendar year 2022, he said.
“For 5G frequency auctions, reference was made to TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India). You have already started the consultation process. The process should end sometime in the February-March period of the coming year. Then the auction process will take place in the second quarter of the calendar year 2022, ”he said.
Earlier this year, the cabinet passed nine structural and procedural reforms to address short-term liquidity needs and long-term problems facing telecommunications companies.
As part of these reforms, the government gave telecommunications providers the option to impose a four-year moratorium on the payment of deferred frequencies and adjusted gross revenues. Of the three telcos, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea have opted for the four-year moratorium.
When announcing the reforms in September, Vaishnaw had announced that there would be another series of reforms for the telecommunications sector to resolve long-standing legacies.
“The reforms adopted by the government in September have been very well received. The industry is now preparing for these reforms. Much of the stress that was present in the industry is now being alleviated by these reforms. Much more needs to be done. We are already working on another set of reforms that should come in 3-4 months, ”he said.
As part of the reforms announced in September, in addition to the 4-year moratorium, the government also announced changes such as a streamlining of the auction calendar and the cancellation of the frequency usage fees (SUC) that have long been required from auctions by the private telecom.
The telecommunications sector will also be able to receive 100 percent of foreign direct investment automatically, compared to the 49 percent previously permitted.
In addition, the DoT will not require bank guarantees to secure installment payments for any future auctions, while the term for which frequencies can be held has been increased from 20 years to 30 years, with the option to allow the telecommunications service provider to extend the spectrum after 10 Years after paying a certain fee. An additional SUC of 0.5 percent, which was charged for frequency sharing, has also been abolished.
