India Mobile Congress 2023: India will lead the world in 6G, says Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the 7th edition of the India Mobile Congress in Delhi.

After inaugurating the seventh edition of the India Mobile Congress (IMC) on October 27 at the Bharat Mandapam convention centre in Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his speech, highlighted India’s tech achievements, including the fast adoption of 5G across the country.

Modi also declared that India will be a leader in the global adoption of 6G technology. He noted that India had the quickest 5G rollout in the world, with 400,000 base stations set up in the country.

Additionally, Modi said that India had been importing smartphones for a few years, but now it was not only producing a majority of them locally but also exporting large quantities to global markets. He further noted that India was now the second largest mobile producer in the world and that it was essential to build upon the success of the electronics sector and create a robust semiconductor manufacturing industry.

"Today semiconductor companies from around the world, in collaboration with Indian companies, are investing in semiconductor assembly and testing facilities in the country," he said. “India's semiconductor plan is not only working on meeting the domestic demand but also to meet the global requirements," he added.

Modi noted that India is fortunate to have a young generation at the forefront of the country's technological revolution. He also highlighted the improvement in broadband speed, which has seen India rise from 118th to 43rd in the world. He declared that the future was no longer a distant future, but the present and that technology was the key to this.

Ashwini Vaishnav, the Information and Technology Minister, noted that mobile phones worth more than Rs 90,00 crore were exported in the past year and that the process of obtaining permissions for mobile tower installation had been significantly shortened.

He hailed the growth of the telecom industry, particularly in the 5G rollout, affordability of data, and exports of telecom technology.

Vaishnav also noted the widespread use of mobile devices in India, as evidenced by the millions of people watching cricket matches and the landing of Chandrayan on their phones. He declared that India was set to take the lead in the 6G technology race and that 100 5G laboratories would be inaugurated in educational institutions to promote innovation and development.