India is setting a new target for its next-generation telecom ambitions: securing at least 10% of global 6G patents and standards. The government also wants Indian companies and research institutions to develop domestic alternatives to 10–20 critical network technologies that India currently imports.
The priorities were outlined by Union Minister of State for Communications Dr Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani at India Mobile Congress 2026 in New Delhi on October 8. Alongside 6G intellectual property and standards, the government highlighted quantum communications, AI-native networks, telecom security and indigenous network equipment as areas that will shape India’s next phase of telecom development.
India Wants a Bigger Role in 6G Standards
The government’s 10% target is significant because it goes beyond deploying 6G networks when the technology becomes commercially available.
India wants to participate in the technology and standards that will define those networks.
Pemmasani called for major telecom operators to establish measurable annual and quarterly targets for contributions to standards, standard-essential patents and university research. The government also wants stronger collaboration between operators, equipment manufacturers, technology companies and academia.
This is important because standards determine how different networks, devices and equipment work together. Intellectual property that becomes part of those standards can also create commercial opportunities for the companies that develop it.
India’s challenge will therefore be to turn research and patent filings into technologies that are accepted in international standards and eventually used in commercial products.
India Already Has Thousands of 5G and 6G Patent Filings
The government says organisations belonging to the Bharat 6G Alliance collectively hold more than 7,700 patent filings related to 5G and 6G technologies, including more than 4,400 foreign filings.
The distinction between patent filings and granted or standard-essential patents is important. The 7,700 figure should not be interpreted as 7,700 granted 6G patents or 7,700 Standard Essential Patents.
What the number does demonstrate is the growing scale of India’s telecom research and intellectual-property activity.
The government had already reported in July that Bharat 6G Alliance member organisations collectively held more than 7,700 patent filings related to 5G and 6G, including 4,400-plus foreign filings. At the same time, Indian participation in 3GPP had increased from 717 participants in 2020 to 1,787 in 2025, while Indian technical contributions increased from 196 to 2,943.
The more important measure over the coming years will be how many of those contributions influence actual global standards and commercial technology.
The Next Target Is Indian Network Technology
The government is also looking beyond patents.
Pemmasani called for identifying 10–20 critical network technologies that India currently imports and developing Indian alternatives, particularly in component manufacturing, chipsets, radios, routers and optical systems.
This is a significant shift in the way India’s telecom ambitions are being framed.
For years, the central challenge was expanding network coverage and bringing down connectivity costs. India has now built one of the world’s largest telecom markets and deployed 5G at considerable scale.
The next challenge is to build more of the technology underneath those networks.
That includes the equipment installed at telecom sites, optical systems carrying traffic between locations, radio equipment connecting smartphones to networks, routers handling data and the semiconductor components powering the infrastructure.
Why Indigenous Technology Matters
Developing domestic alternatives does not necessarily mean replacing every foreign technology.
Instead, the government is seeking greater technological capability in areas that are strategically important to the telecom network.
A stronger domestic equipment ecosystem could reduce dependence on a small number of overseas suppliers, create opportunities for Indian manufacturers and startups, and potentially help Indian companies compete in international markets.
It could also give Indian telecom operators more options when deploying future networks.
But developing alternatives is only the first step. Indian products will also have to meet international performance, security, reliability and cost requirements if they are to compete outside the domestic market.
From AI-Assisted to AI-Native Networks
Artificial intelligence is another major part of the government’s 6G strategy.
Pemmasani called for India to move from AI-assisted networks towards AI-native networks. That means AI would become part of the architecture and operation of the network rather than simply being an additional tool used by network operators.
AI could eventually help networks predict traffic demand, identify faults, optimise resources, detect anomalies and automate parts of network operations.
At IMC 2026, the broader 6G programme is already focusing on intelligent RAN, autonomous networks and AI-native infrastructure. Technology companies are demonstrating capabilities that bring AI into network management and optimisation ahead of commercial 6G deployment.
This suggests that the transition to 6G will not begin only when a new generation of radio technology arrives. Many of its capabilities are likely to develop through 5G-Advanced and increasingly automated networks first.
Quantum Communication Moves Towards Real-World Trials
The government also wants quantum communication to move beyond laboratory research.
Pemmasani called on C-DOT to begin real operator trials, including quantum-safe encryption on critical links and Quantum Key Distribution where economically justified.
The focus is particularly relevant to telecom security.
As networks become increasingly important to financial services, government systems, enterprises and critical infrastructure, protecting communications against future security threats becomes more important.
Quantum communication is still an emerging technology, so the government’s emphasis on operator trials is significant because it moves the discussion from research towards practical deployment and evaluation.
Telecom Security Becomes a 6G Priority
The government is also putting network security at the centre of its future telecom strategy.
Pemmasani highlighted national security, equipment security, supply-chain security, fraud prevention and protection of critical telecom infrastructure as areas requiring greater attention.
This reflects the changing role of telecom networks.
A mobile network is no longer simply infrastructure for voice calls. It increasingly supports digital payments, cloud services, enterprise applications, government services, connected devices and critical communications.
As more economic activity depends on telecom networks, a network failure or security compromise can have consequences well beyond telecommunications.
India Is Trying to Move From Market to Technology Creator
The 6G strategy fits into a broader change in India’s telecom ambitions.
India has already demonstrated its ability to deploy telecom infrastructure at enormous scale. The government now wants the country to participate more actively in the development of the technology itself.
The Bharat 6G Vision, released in 2023, aims to make India a front-line contributor in the design, development and deployment of 6G technology by 2030. The Bharat 6G Alliance now has 90 members covering telecom operators, equipment manufacturers, startups, research organisations and academia.
The latest IMC announcements add another layer to that strategy: build intellectual property, influence standards, manufacture more critical equipment domestically and develop networks around AI and advanced security.
Standards Could Be the Real Test
India’s 10% target will ultimately be judged by more than the number of patents filed.
The difficult part is getting Indian technology accepted into international standards and then seeing that technology become part of commercial products and networks.
This is already becoming time-sensitive. Nokia India country manager Vibha Mehra said at IMC 2026 that India has roughly the next one to one-and-a-half years to get the right technology contributions into the global 6G standardisation process.
That makes the current period particularly important for Indian researchers and companies.
The opportunity is not simply to file patents after the technology has been defined elsewhere. India wants to influence the technology while the standards are still being shaped.
What This Could Mean for Indian Telecom
If India succeeds, the impact could extend well beyond telecom operators.
Indian equipment companies could gain access to a larger domestic market and potentially export their products. Startups could develop technologies around 6G radios, network software, chips, optical systems, security and AI.
Universities and research institutions could also become more closely connected with commercial telecom development.
For operators such as Jio, Airtel and other network providers, greater availability of Indian technology could eventually create another source of equipment and software, although performance, cost and interoperability will remain critical factors.
Consumers may not immediately notice these changes.
The first visible impact of 6G is likely to come much later. But the decisions being made today about patents, standards, equipment and research will influence what networks look like when that technology reaches the market.
From 5G Adoption to 6G Leadership
India’s 5G journey provides the scale on which this next phase is being built.
The government says India now has 550 million 5G users, with 5G available across 99.9% of districts, and has set a target of reaching 1 billion 5G users by 2030.
The 5G story is therefore increasingly about scale and adoption.
The 6G story is different.
It is about intellectual property, standards, advanced equipment, AI-native networks, quantum security and technological independence.
India’s 10% target is ambitious, but the more meaningful question is whether the country can convert its enormous telecom market into technological influence.
If Indian research becomes part of global standards, Indian equipment competes internationally and Indian companies capture meaningful intellectual property value, the country’s telecom journey will have moved to another level.
India spent the last decade connecting hundreds of millions of people to high-speed mobile networks.
The ambition for the next decade is to help define what those networks become.
