The Indian telecom industry aims to capture 10 percent of the total 6G patents and contribute one-sixth to global standards over the next three years, according to an official statement released on Saturday. The ambitious target reflects the industry’s strategic efforts towards improving India’s position in the global telecom landscape.
At the second meeting of the Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC) on Telecom Service Providers (TSPs), chaired by Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday, telecom industry leaders suggested bringing research closer to “Indian needs” and setting up a strong “standards community” to achieve these goals.
“The industry leaders proposed to systematically align research with India’s needs and set up a vibrant ‘standards community’ that aims for a 10% share of total 6G patents and one-sixth contribution to global standards within the next three years,” the statement said.
The first SAC meeting on telecom operators identified key focus areas like international standards, intellectual property, Standard Essential Patents (SEPs), telecom connectivity gap, India’s share in quality of telecom services etc. These focus areas were further deliberated in the recent meeting.
SAC also highlighted India’s efforts to position itself as a leader in deep tech innovation and stressed the need to increase penetration of both wired and intelligent wireless broadband networks to provide reliable connectivity. “India has already taken various initiatives such as launching Bhart6G Vision and Bhart6G Alliance, patent and IPR support framework, commissioning of testbeds, etc., and can aim to achieve 10% of total 6G patents tailored to India’s needs and one-sixth contribution to global standards. SAC has proposed a three-year roadmap to achieve this goal,” the statement added.
Minister Scindia asked the SAC members to map out a clear path to achieve these ambitious goals and outline the role that various stakeholders, including governments, will play in this effort. He also urged communication service providers to take all necessary steps to ensure that citizens receive quality communication services.
The meeting was attended by key figures from the telecom industry including Pankaj Pawar, Managing Director, Reliance Jio, Akshaya Moondra, CEO, Vodafone Idea, Robert J Ravi, Chairman and Managing Director, BSNL, NG Subramaniam, Chairman, Tejas Networks and SP Kochhar, Director General, COAI.
Operators at the meeting set an ultimate goal of 100 percent broadband coverage across the country and also called for a supportive policy framework to boost investment.
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