Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Sep 8: India has joined the United States and 24 other countries in a global initiative aimed at guiding the development and deployment of next-generation 6G telecommunications networks, the US Department of Commerce announced on Monday.
The department said 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.
"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 U.S. 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 said in a post on X.
The development came as Prasada led the Indian delegation at the G20 Innovation Ministers' meeting held on September 1 and 2 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, hosted by the US Department of Commerce and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).
According to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Prasada was accompanied by Ajit Kumar, Joint Secretary, MeitY, along with senior officials from MeitY, the Department of Science and Technology (DST), the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and the Embassy of India in the US.
At the conclusion of the ministerial meeting, G20 ministers released an Innovation Ministerial Statement recognising that emerging technologies have the potential to unlock prosperity, enhance productivity and expand opportunities for people.
On the sidelines of the G20 Ministerial, Prasada held several bilateral meetings, including discussions with Lutnick on strengthening cooperation in semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI) and data centres.
During the meeting, Prasada encouraged greater US investment under India's India Semiconductor Mission 2.0 (ISM 2.0), proposed strengthening the AI technology partnership between the two countries and shared a mechanism for safeguards relating to AI.
Highlighting his meeting with Lutnick in a post on X, Prasada said the discussions focused on advancing critical sectors that form the foundation of the modern technological landscape.
"Semiconductors. AI. Data centres. These are critical building blocks of the emerging digital economy," Prasada said.
He added that both sides examined avenues to deepen practical collaboration and create technology-led opportunities between India and the United States.
"In my bilateral discussion with Mr. Howard Lutnick, US Secretary of Commerce, we exchanged views on strengthening cooperation across these areas and advancing technology-led opportunities between India and the United States," Prasada said, while thanking the US G20 Presidency for its hospitality.
India's participation in the 6G initiative comes as the country seeks to play a greater role in setting global standards for emerging telecommunications technologies. The discussions during the G20 visit also highlighted India's expanding engagement in AI, semiconductors, digital public infrastructure, robotics and other emerging technologies.
The engagements underscored India's growing role in shaping the global technology and innovation agenda and reaffirmed its efforts to build strategic partnerships that can translate technological advances into greater opportunities for innovation, economic growth and improved quality of life for its citizens.