In a landmark move signaling India's ambitious foray into next-generation telecommunications, a state-of-the-art Centre of Excellence for 6G technology has been inaugurated at the IIT-M Research Park in Chennai. Dr. Neeraj Mittal, Secretary of Telecommunications, heralded this development as a pivotal step in India's journey to become a global leader in 6G innovation.

The establishment of this cutting-edge facility aligns seamlessly with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Bharat 6G Vision," a bold initiative announced in March 2023. This visionary plan positions India at the forefront of 6G technology development, with the goal of significant contributions to its design, development, and deployment by 2030.

"This isn't just about keeping pace with global advancements," Dr. Mittal emphasized during the inauguration. "It's about setting the pace. India is poised to play a crucial role in shaping the very standards and infrastructure that will define 6G networks worldwide."

The Centre of Excellence, operating under the umbrella of Telecom Centres of Excellence (TCoE)-India, is set to become a nexus of innovation. It aims to foster unprecedented collaboration between academia and industry, creating a fertile ground for groundbreaking research and development in 6G technology.

A key feature of the centre is its integration with the existing 5G Test Bed at IIT Madras. This test bed, a result of indigenous innovation involving eight institutes and funded by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), has been instrumental in testing new 5G products and use-cases since its inauguration by PM Modi in May 2022.

Building on this foundation, the DoT has already funded two next-generation testbeds to accelerate 6G research. Furthermore, under the Bharat 6G Vision, the department is currently evaluating a staggering 470 proposals focused on "Accelerated research on 6G Ecosystem."