Global dialogue on 6G at IMC 2025

As the world edges closer to realising the potential of 6G technology, the International Bharat 6G Symposium 2025, held during the 9th edition of the India Mobile Congress in New Delhi, convened global leaders, policymakers, industry experts, academics, and researchers. The event provided a platform to shape the direction of 6G innovation, international collaboration, and future deployment strategies.

The symposium was inaugurated by Jyotiraditya M Scindia, Minister of Communications and Minister for the Development of the North Eastern Region, Government of India. Organised in partnership with the Bharat 6G Alliance (B6GA), the event marked a significant step in India’s efforts to contribute to the global 6G ecosystem. It focused on accelerating transitions from research to market, enabling inclusive and sustainable connectivity, and aligning with India’s Bharat6G Vision 2030.

India’s strategy and technological focus

In his address, Scindia highlighted India’s proactive approach to next-generation connectivity. He noted that India has established a future-oriented policy and spectrum framework, including timely allocation of terahertz bands. From indigenous 4G and 5G stacks to Open RAN-based 6G prototypes, India is building sovereign technological capabilities under the PLI scheme. 

The Bharat 6G Alliance, comprising over 80 organisations and 30 startups, is leading the development of AI-native networks and cross-sector applications in agriculture, healthcare, smart cities, and sustainability. He also referenced the 6G Innovation Hexa-Con, a framework based on six transformative pillars: immersive communications, massive connectivity, ultra-reliable low-latency networks, ubiquitous coverage, AI-native networks, and integrated sensing and communication.

Prominent attendees included Rajesh Kumar Pathak, Director General, Bharat 6G Alliance; Vivek Badrinath, Director General, GSMA; Prof David Koilpillai, Chairperson, Bharat 6G Alliance; Dr Magnus Frodigh of Hexa-X; Prof. Harald Haas, Future Telecoms UK; Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi, IIT Madras; and Dr Hosako Iwao, NICT, Japan. These leaders shared perspectives on current challenges and future opportunities in the global development of 6G.

Vision for India's 6G leadership

Rajesh Kumar Pathak emphasised that this year’s IMC theme, ‘Innovate to Transform’, reflects the focus on leveraging 5G Advanced and 6G technologies to expand connectivity while ensuring sustainability, affordability, and inclusivity. He outlined an ambitious roadmap titled ‘Accelerating India’s 6G Leadership’, aimed at ensuring India's innovations are secure, resilient, and future-ready.

In his welcome address, Prof David Koilpillai stressed the importance of collaboration between academia, industry, and government. He noted that building an indigenous 6G ecosystem rooted in interoperability and sustainability will require long-term partnerships and innovation across sectors.

Vivek Badrinath, Director General of GSMA, remarked on India’s growing role in global technology production. He noted that India’s rapid 5G rollout suggests that 6G use cases may emerge quickly. However, progress will depend on key enablers such as infrastructure, forward-looking policy, and long-term public-private partnerships. He also highlighted the transformative role of AI in future network design and the need for inclusive digital access.

Long-Term innovation and technology readiness

Magnus Ewerbring, CTO for APAC at Ericsson, spoke about the decade-long innovation cycles common in telecommunications. He explained that preparations for 6G are not just for today’s needs, but for the unknown demands of 2040 and beyond. Current priorities include validating technologies likely to mature by 2030—such as AI-integrated services, cloud-native networks, low-power IoT, and extended reality (XR) applications. He stressed that future networks must be intelligent, energy-efficient, and capable of supporting billions of connected devices.

Dr Mallik Tatipamula, CTO of Ericsson Silicon Valley, reflected on recent progress since the previous symposium in 2024. He cited key milestones including the US–India collaboration through the Next G Alliance and a new India–UK partnership on 6G announced at the event. He underlined the importance of global cooperation, stating that 6G must be developed at a planetary scale.

Dr Ulrich Dropmann, Head of Standardisation and Industry Environment at Nokia, discussed the importance of aligning diverse technical expertise to solve global challenges. He noted that collaborative efforts with partner institutions are helping refine scalable and cost-effective solutions. These include spectrum planning, network architecture, and the completion of technical studies under the Collaborative Core Communications (CCC) initiative. Such steps are essential in ensuring the development of sustainable and adaptable network systems.

Strengthening international collaboration

As part of the inauguration, the Bharat6G Alliance formalised two key international partnerships through MoUs with NASSCOM and the European Satellite Agency, aimed at enhancing cooperation in research and technology exchange. In addition, four Working Group White Papers were released, outlining strategic directions in:

• 6G spectrum roadmap for India

• Green and sustainable 6G technologies

• 6G data architecture and security frameworks

• The role of AI in the evolution from 5G Advanced to 6G

The International Bharat 6G Symposium 2025 represents a key milestone ahead of India’s expanded participation in global 6G forums. It provided a platform for in-depth discussions on spectrum innovation, AI-driven networks, security architecture, sustainability, and cross-border partnerships. The symposium is part of the Bharat6G Alliance’s broader effort to position India as an active and collaborative player in shaping the future of global telecommunications, through inclusive, intelligent, and resilient digital infrastructure.