iWorld
Bharat 6G Alliance grows to 90 members as India advances 6G roadmap
Government backs spectrum planning, testbeds and global standards push for next-gen telecom
NEW DELHI: India is dialling up its 6G ambitions. The Bharat 6G Alliance has expanded to 90 members, while the government has stepped up efforts to build the country’s next-generation telecom ecosystem through spectrum planning, research infrastructure and global standards participation.
The update was shared by Government of India, minister of state for communications and rural development, Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.
As of 15 July 2026, the Bharat 6G Alliance has grown into a 90-member industry and academia-led body, bringing together telecom service providers, equipment manufacturers, startups, research institutions, universities and other stakeholders.
The alliance has formed seven working groups focusing on critical areas including 6G technologies, spectrum, applications and use cases, revenue models, devices and components, sustainability and industry outreach. It aims to strengthen India’s research, innovation and intellectual property ecosystem by promoting collaboration between industry and academia, identifying technology gaps and supporting advanced research and testbed proposals aligned with the country’s 6G vision.
One of these working groups has submitted a report titled Spectrum Roadmap for 6G in India. Separately, the Department of Telecommunications, after consulting stakeholders including the alliance, has also released its own Spectrum Roadmap for 6G services to guide future spectrum planning.
To accelerate technology development, the government has approved a three-year project under the Telecom Technology Development Fund, supported through Digital Bharat Nidhi, to establish a 6G terahertz testbed at the Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering & Research in Kolkata.
The project is being executed in collaboration with Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati and Indian Institute of Technology Patna. As part of the initiative, researchers demonstrated a high data-rate line-of-sight communication link during India Mobile Congress 2025.
India is also working to shape the global 6G standards framework. The country has contributed to discussions at the International Telecommunication Union under the IMT-2030 framework, advocating the inclusion of “ubiquitous connectivity” as one of six key 6G usage scenarios. It has also proposed coverage, interoperability and sustainability as core capabilities of future 6G networks.
To strengthen India’s role in international standardisation, the government is supporting participation by Indian companies, startups and MSMEs in organisations including the 3rd Generation Partnership Project, the International Telecommunication Union and oneM2M through the Department of Telecommunications’ Technology Development and Investment Promotion scheme.
The scheme provides financial assistance for membership fees, participation in international standards meetings, hosting such meetings in India, as well as pilot testing and product validation.
With the Bharat 6G Alliance continuing to grow and government support extending from spectrum planning to global standard-setting, India is laying the groundwork to play a larger role in defining and developing the next generation of wireless communications.
