India bags 100 patents in 6G technology, 5G service rollout exceeds govt expectations

Ashwini Vaishnaw, IT and Telecom Minister of India, has announced that Indian scientists, engineers, and academicians have acquired 100 patents for 6G technology, despite the complexities involved in the electronics sector.

The Union Minister while addressing the Bharat Startup Summit organised by the PHD Chamber of Commerce, stated that the nation is taking a leap in 5G technology with the fastest rollout of networks in the world. He added that the 5G network rollout in the country has surpassed the government's expectation of 200 cities by 31 March 2023, with the coverage currently spanning 397 cities. In other words, India is making remarkable strides with 5G technology and its rapid rollout of new networks around the world sets it apart, states the Minister.

In fact, Vaishnaw mentioned that 10 years ago 99 percent of mobile phones were imported. But now, the tables have turned with 99 percent of units used in India being made locally.

He also informed that the country has started the export of telecom products to the US, stating, “Export of radio equipment has started from India in the last 7-8 months and that too to America.”

What is 6G?

As the name suggests, 6G is the sixth generation of cellular networks and is the successor to 5G cellular technology. Further, it boasts of offering substantially higher capacity and much lower latency when compared to 5G networks. It is anticipated that the new improved technology is to provide theoretical maximum speeds up to 100 times faster than 5G due to its use of higher frequency bands on the wireless spectrum,  owing to the increased usage frequency bands on the wireless spectrum.

6G networks are currently under research and development and are yet to be released.