Post 5G Success, India To Pioneer In 6G Technology: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced that India saw the fastest deployment of 5G technology last year and is currently working on becoming a leader in 6G technology. Underling the fast pace of technology, the prime minister said, “The future is here and now. India is not only expanding the 5G network but also laying emphasis on becoming a leader in 6G.”

The Prime Minister lauded the milestones achieved in the 5G domain, noting that within one year of the 5G rollout, India developed an impressive 4 lakh 5G base stations, covering over 97 per cent of cities and reaching 80 per cent of the population. He pointed out that the median mobile broadband speed had tripled within this timeframe. Furthermore, India's broadband speed ranking surged from 118th to 43rd position in the global landscape.

Highlighting India's manufacturing ability, the Prime Minister emphasized that, unlike in 2014 when India was primarily a net importer of mobile devices, the nation has evolved into the world's second-largest mobile manufacturer. India is now also producing electronic goods worth a substantial INR 2 trillion earmarked for export.

Speaking at the 7th Edition of the India Mobile Congress 2023, the Prime Minister talked about artificial intelligence (AI), cyber security, semiconductors, drone or space sectors, deep sea, and green tech, while underlining the role of the younger generation in driving the tech revolution.

“The future is going to be entirely different and it is a matter of happiness that our young generation is leading the tech revolution,” he said.

Startup Ecosystem

The Prime Minister emphasized that India’s startup ecosystem has made a significant place for itself in the world in the last few years.

“India has made a century of unicorns in fairly less time and has now become one of the top 3 startup ecosystems in the world. Before 2014, the Prime Minister said that India was home to only a few hundred startups whereas that number has gone up to approximately one lakh today,” he said.

Semiconductor Hub

The Prime Minister stressed the need to take this success in mobile and electronics manufacturing even further. “For the success of both hardware and software in the tech ecosystem, it is important that we build a strong semiconductor manufacturing sector in India”, he said, informing that an INR 80,000 crore PLI scheme is going on for the development of semiconductors.

“Today, semiconductor companies around the world are investing in semiconductor assembly and testing facilities in collaboration with Indian companies. India's semiconductor mission is moving forward with the vision of meeting not only its domestic demand but also the needs of the world, the Prime Minister added.