Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reportedly set a target to launch 6G in the country by 2030, stating his government was keen to get a jump on the technology and avoid mistakes of the past.
Speaking at a Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) event which was covered by Business Standard, Modi revealed a task force had already started work on 6G, ahead of a launch in around eight years’ time.
Modi’s target is roughly in line with other major nations and continents, with the technology widely expected to come to market in 2030.
Before that, India still needs to pull the trigger on 5G and Modi confirmed the country’s operators were working on a launch in the next few months.
The Prime Minister estimated 5G rollout would add around $450 billion to the Indian economy, with the technology “not just increasing internet speed but also the pace of development and creating jobs”.
Modi predicted the launch would further boost growth in agriculture, health, education, infrastructure and logistics.
In his address, Modi also reportedly hit out at the country’s previous government, which oversaw the launch of 2G, stating this era of mobile technology in India was symbolic of “policy paralysis and corruption”.
Talking up his government’s achievements in the sector, he added India had moved transparently from 4G to 5G and mobile manufacturing units had expanded from two to more than 200, making it the biggest hub in the world.
He also hailed low data prices in the country, maintaining healthy competition.
