Bharat 6G Alliance & Spectrum Roadmap for 6G in India
UPSC / SSC current affairs note
Why in news
The Bharat 6G Alliance (B6GA) has expanded to 90 members as of July 15, 2026, and its Spectrum Working Group has submitted a 'Spectrum Roadmap for 6G in India'. Separately, the Department of Telecommunications has released a spectrum roadmap for 6G services. A project has been approved to set up a 6G Terahertz Testbed at SAMEER, Kolkata, under the Digital India Fund.
Background
India aims to lead in 6G technology development. The Bharat 6G Alliance was formed as an industry-academia collaborative platform to drive indigenous research, innovation, and IPR creation for 6G. The government is supporting Indian stakeholders' participation in international standardization bodies like 3GPP, ITU, and oneM2M.
Key facts
Bharat 6G Alliance (B6GA) is an industry and academia-driven committee, now with 90 member organizations as of July 15, 2026.
Members include telecom service providers, equipment manufacturers, startups, R&D institutions, academic institutes, and other stakeholders.
B6GA has formed seven working groups covering: 6G technology, spectrum, applications & use cases & revenue sources, equipment & components, green & sustainability dimensions, and outreach.
The Spectrum Working Group has submitted a report titled 'Spectrum Roadmap for 6G in India'.
Department of Telecommunications has released a separate spectrum roadmap for 6G services after consulting stakeholders including B6GA.
A three-year project has been approved under the Telecom Technology Development Fund (from Digital India Fund) to establish a 6G Terahertz Testbed at SAMEER, Kolkata, in collaboration with IIT Madras, IIT Guwahati, and IIT Patna.
At India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2025, a high data rate line-of-sight link was demonstrated under this project.
India contributed to the ITU's IMT-2030 framework (6G) to include 'ubiquitous communication-connectivity' as one of six usage scenarios and to incorporate coverage, interoperability, and sustainability in 6G capabilities.
The government supports active participation of Indian stakeholders in international standardization bodies (3GPP, ITU, oneM2M) under the Technology Development and Investment Promotion (TDIP) scheme of DoT.
TDIP scheme provides financial assistance for membership fees, participation in international meetings, hosting such meetings in India, pilot testing, and certification of telecom products, covering eligible startups and MSMEs across India.
Prelims pointers
- Bharat 6G Alliance (B6GA)
- Spectrum Roadmap for 6G in India
- Department of Telecommunications (DoT)
- Digital India Fund
- Telecom Technology Development Fund
- SAMEER (Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research)
- IMT-2030 framework (6G)
- International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
- 3GPP, oneM2M
- Technology Development and Investment Promotion (TDIP) scheme
Mains angles
- Discuss India's preparedness and strategy for 6G technology adoption and leadership.
- Examine the role of industry-academia collaboration in developing indigenous telecom technologies.
- Analyze the significance of spectrum management and roadmap for future communication technologies.
- Evaluate the government's initiatives (like B6GA, TDIP) in promoting R&D and innovation in telecom sector.