Bharat 6G Alliance Expands as India Advances Spectrum and Terahertz Testbed Roadmap

India is strengthening its preparations for sixth-generation telecommunications through an expanding industry–academia alliance, a national spectrum roadmap, advanced terahertz research and greater participation in international standard-setting.

The Bharat 6G Alliance, an industry- and academia-led organisation, had grown to 90 members by July 15, 2026. Its membership includes telecom service providers, equipment manufacturers, startups, universities, research institutions and other participants from India’s telecommunications ecosystem.

The Alliance has established seven working groups focusing on 6G technologies, spectrum, applications, commercial use cases and revenue models, devices and components, environmental sustainability and international outreach. These groups are intended to identify technological gaps, encourage industry–academia collaboration, support indigenous intellectual property creation and develop proposals for advanced research facilities and testbeds aligned with the Bharat 6G Vision.

One of these groups has submitted a report titled Spectrum Roadmap for 6G in India. The Department of Telecommunications has separately released its own spectrum roadmap after consultations with stakeholders, including the Bharat 6G Alliance. The roadmap is expected to guide the identification and coordinated use of frequency bands required for future 6G research, testing and commercial services.

A major research component of the programme is a three-year 6G terahertz testbed project approved under the Telecom Technology Development Fund of Digital Bharat Nidhi. The facility is being developed at the Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research in Kolkata in partnership with IIT Madras, IIT Guwahati and IIT Patna.

The consortium has already demonstrated a high-data-rate line-of-sight wireless connection at the India Mobile Congress 2025. The testbed will provide researchers and companies with an indigenous platform for developing and validating technologies that operate at very high frequencies and could support the ultra-high data rates envisioned for future networks.

India has also contributed to the International Telecommunication Union’s IMT-2030 framework, commonly associated with 6G. Indian proposals helped secure recognition of ubiquitous connectivity as one of the six principal usage scenarios, along with coverage, interoperability and sustainability as important technological capabilities.

To strengthen India’s influence over emerging global standards, the government is supporting participation by Indian organisations in bodies such as the ITU, 3GPP and oneM2M. Assistance under the Department of Telecommunications’ Technology Development and Investment Promotion scheme covers membership fees, attendance at international standardisation meetings, hosting meetings in India and pilot testing and validation of telecom products. Eligible startups and micro, small and medium enterprises can also receive support under the programme.

Together, the Alliance, spectrum roadmap, terahertz testbed and international-standardisation initiatives are intended to move India from technology adoption towards the creation of indigenous telecommunications products, patents and global standards. The effort also places affordability, sustainability and universal connectivity at the centre of India’s emerging 6G ecosystem.

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Reference

Press Information Bureau
Ministry of Communications

“Bharat 6G Alliance and Spectrum Roadmap for 6G in India”

Published: 22 July 2026, 6:03 PM
Release ID: 2287851

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2287851&reg=48&lang=1

Department of Telecommunications — Spectrum Roadmap for 6G:
https://www.dot.gov.in/static/uploads/2026/02/092d793d6ea912a5dd79bf0c26ea1a84.pdf

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