India & EU Forge 6G Alliance for Secure, Future-Ready Telecom Networks

The joint statement issued after the India-EU summit welcomed the collaboration between the Bharat 6G Alliance and the 6G SNS IA, aimed at aligning research and innovation priorities for secure, trusted, and future-ready 6G networks. This industry-led engagement is expected to contribute to the development of resilient and diversified telecom supply chains, while promoting openness, interoperability, and security-by-design in next-generation communication systems.

Both sides emphasised the importance of cooperation in research and development, testing, and standardisation of 6G technologies, and reiterated their shared objective of shaping globally interoperable standards that support innovation, competitiveness, and inclusive digital growth.

This collaboration aligns with India's national 6G vision steered by the Department of Telecommunications and seeks to position India as a global contributor and leader in 6G technology development, while ensuring secure, affordable, and sustainable digital infrastructure.

The strengthened India-EU partnership in advanced telecommunications reflects a shared commitment to building a trusted, secure, and resilient global digital ecosystem, benefiting citizens, industry, and the wider international community, the statement said.

In this broader strategic context, 'Towards 2030: A Joint India-EU Comprehensive Strategic Agenda', endorsed at the 16th India-EU Summit held on January 27, aims to strengthen mutual experience-sharing on universal, meaningful, robust, and secure digital infrastructure. The agenda also envisages closer collaboration to develop and promote secure and trusted telecommunications ecosystems, including under the Memorandum of Understanding between India's Bharat 6G Alliance and the European Union's 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association, the statement said.

Bharat 6G Alliance, an alliance of domestic industry, academia, national research institutions, and standards organisations, is supported by the Indian government to drive innovation and collaboration in next-generation 6G technologies.

Its MoU with the 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association (6G SNS IA) of the European Union is to explore collaboration opportunities across the 6G ecosystem.

The MoU provides a framework for cooperation on 6G vision and requirements, network architecture and use cases, identification of common areas of interest, consensus building, and joint efforts towards the development of globally harmonised standards for Beyond-5G and 6G technologies. It also aims to promote cooperation among Indian and European research and development organisations and industry stakeholders, the statement added.

- IANS