From roadmap to reality: Inside India’s 6G ambitions

At the Voice & Data 5G+ Conference, a panel discussion titled India’s 6G Blueprint: From Vision to 2030 explored how the country can move from early research and standardisation to real-world deployment within the next five years. The session brought together policymakers, operators, vendors and industry leaders to examine what India must prioritise if it is to play a meaningful global role in 6G.

The discussion was moderated by Jaspreet Singh, Partner at Grant Thornton Bharat, who framed the challenge in the context of India’s long-term economic ambitions. While India has made rapid progress in 5G deployment, Singh cautioned that the transition to 6G would be more complex. “From vision to rollout by 2030 is an ambitious plan,” he said, adding that success would depend on early clarity around strategy, spectrum, standards and ecosystem coordination.

From roadmap to readiness

Rajesh Kumar Pathak, Director General, Bharat 6G Alliance, emphasised that India is no longer starting from scratch. He pointed out that the country’s 6G roadmap was unveiled in 2023, even though preparatory work had begun earlier. However, Pathak stressed that ambition alone would not be enough. “It’s not one thing, it’s everything,” he said. “R&D funding has to be supported by the government, and telecom service providers must be involved from the very beginning, not just at the rollout stage.”

The panel agreed that early engagement across industry, academia and government would be critical to avoid the delays and missed opportunities seen in earlier technology cycles.

Nirmesh Yadav, GM & Head, Emerging technology and Industry Alliance, Bharti Airtel argued that 6G must be driven by demand rather than technology push. Unlike earlier generations, he said, the next phase of mobile networks must be justified by real-world applications. “It should not be that 6G exists, so we move to 6G,” he noted. “It has to be driven by use cases and industry demand.”

Learning from past cycles

Monika Gupta, Vice President, Capgemini, echoed the need for realism. She highlighted the importance of aligning R&D priorities with India’s specific needs rather than adopting global capabilities indiscriminately. “The key questions are: do we need this technology, which capabilities actually work for India, and are we ready to adopt those use cases?” she said.

She also pointed out that India now has the advantage of time, with nearly a decade to observe global experimentation while building domestic capacity in parallel.

Ashwini Kumar, Head of Standards & Spectrum Engagements at Nokia Solutions & Networks who brought an operator and vendor-facing perspective, underlined the lessons from 5G. He said that many operators globally had deployed advanced technology first and struggled to build applications later. “The biggest experience from 5G is that application ecosystem development is critical,” Kumar said. “Technology has to be modular, fit for purpose, and supported by continuous experimentation through sandboxes.”

He added that India’s scale, particularly in public services, healthcare and digital public infrastructure, could itself become a differentiator if applications are prioritised early.

Standards, spectrum and global influence

From a policy and coordination standpoint, Rajesh Kumar Pathak, closely associated with Bharat 6G Alliance activities, described how India is positioning itself within global standard-setting bodies. He said India’s approach is not limited to domestic needs. “We are developing from India for the world,” Patel said, noting that collaborations with global 6G alliances are intended to ensure Indian research feeds directly into 3GPP and international standards.

He outlined plans to convert pre-standard test labs into formal standardisation facilities by 2027 and stressed the need for domestic component ecosystems to support long-term competitiveness.

On the technology front, industry speakers highlighted emerging focus areas such as the FR3 spectrum band, integrated sensing and communication, reconfigurable intelligent surfaces and energy efficiency. These, they argued, represent realistic early pathways for 6G rather than more speculative terahertz deployments.

The operator’s dilemma: ambition versus affordability

Nirmesh Yadav, brought the discussion back to economics. While acknowledging the promise of 6G, he cautioned against repeating the monetisation challenges of 5G. “The biggest confidence booster for 6G will be successful 5G monetisation,” he said. “If we don’t get that right, it becomes difficult to justify the next investment cycle.”

Yadav also warned that affordability must remain central to India’s approach. “While building all these capabilities, we should not lose sight of cost and sustainability,” he said, adding that local participation and indigenous development could help manage long-term risks.

From connectivity to intelligence

As the session drew to a close, speakers converged on a shared conclusion: 6G is not just about faster networks, but about redefining what networks do. Several panellists pointed to the shift from pure connectivity to intelligent, AI-enabled platforms that integrate edge computing, network APIs and data-driven services.

Summing up the discussion, Jaspreet Singh noted that India’s opportunity lies in learning from global experience while leveraging its scale and digital public infrastructure. “The challenge is to stay realistic, build patiently and ensure that 6G delivers sustainable outcomes,” he said.

With standards still evolving and deployment several years away, the panel agreed on one point: India’s choices over the next few years will determine whether it becomes a technology taker or a meaningful contributor to the global 6G ecosystem.