India has officially joined a global initiative aimed at shaping the development and deployment of next-generation 6G telecommunications networks. This announcement was made by the US Department of Commerce on Monday. The initiative includes participation from the United States and 24 other countries, highlighting a collaborative effort to advance telecommunications technology on a global scale.
In a post on X, the Department noted that the agreement was finalised following a bilateral meeting between US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada on the sidelines of the G20 Innovation Ministerial.
At the conclusion of the Ministerial, the G20 Ministers released the Innovation Ministerial Statement recognising that “emerging technologies have the potential to unlock prosperity, enhance productivity, and expand opportunity for all our peoples. On the sidelines of the G20 Ministerial, Prasada held several bilateral discussions. In the bilateral discussion with Howard Lutnick, US Secretary of Commerce, both sides exchanged views on strengthening cooperation across Semiconductors, AI and Data Centres .
During the meeting, MoS also encouraged the possibility of more US investments in ISM2.0, proposed strengthening AI technology partnership and shared a mechanism for safeguards for AI.
The MoS was accompanied by Ajit Kumar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology ( MeitY ), senior officials from MeitY, Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), as well as officials of the Embassy of India in the US, according to the Ministry of Electronics and IT.
“Secretary Lutnick met with Indian Minister of State for Commerce Jitin Prasada on the sidelines of the G20 Innovation Ministerial to discuss the future of 6G. Today, we are pleased to announce that India has joined the US and 24 other countries in the effort to ensure that next generation networks reflect our shared security interests, strengthen our competitiveness, and drive innovation in 6G,” the US Department of Commerce wrote. This comes as Union Minister of State (MoS) Jitin Prasada led the Indian delegation at the G20 Innovation Ministers’ meeting held on September 1 and September 2 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States (US), hosted by the US Department of Commerce and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).
