India to launch 6G by end of decade: PM Modi

Weeks ahead of the launch of 5G services in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that the government was preparing to launch 6G by the end of this decade.

He made the announcement during his address at the grand finale of Smart India Hackathon 2022, via video conferencing.

The Prime Minister spoke of new areas and challenges, and how they required modern, innovative solutions. He asked the innovators to find solutions for agriculture-related issues, and also urged them to take full advantage of initiatives like optical fibre in every village, the launch of 5G, and the promotion of the gaming ecosystem.

"Youth can work on new solutions to promote the use of drone technology in the agriculture and health sector. We are preparing to launch 6G by the end of this decade. The government is encouraging Indian solutions in gaming and entertainment. The way the government is investing, all of the youth should take advantage," PM Modi said.

India is set to witness the rollout of 5G technology, which the government claims would be affordable and accessible.

At a press conference earlier in the day, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that 5G could arrive in the country as soon as October this year.

"Industry has started hiring for 5G infrastructure, and within 2-3 years, 5G services will reach every part of the country. We have requested the industry to make 5G charges affordable. Our mobile services charges are the lowest in the world. We will get world-class 5G services," he said.

Vaishnaw said that all the steps needed for the very rapid rollout of 5G were moving forward in a very nice and systematic way.

"As all of you are aware, the spectrum auction was successfully concluded. The letters for harmonisation frequency allocation have been issued well in time and simultaneously we have all been working for simplifying the right of way and installation processes," he said.

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"Aspirations, dreams and challenges of this society will bring forth many opportunities for innovators," he said.