India’s tech future will be determined by 6G, AI and quantum technology: Pemmasani Chandrashekhar Gujarati
New Delhi, 24 April 2026: Union Minister Dr. Chandrashekhar of Pemmas has said that India’s future will be decided by emerging technologies like 6G, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and quantum computing. Inaugurating the second edition of COAI DIGICOM Summit 2026, Chandrashekhar Pemmasani said that the country’s telecom sector has witnessed rapid transformation in the last few years and is now ready for the next wave of technology. He said that rapidly changing technology presents both opportunities and challenges, and hence, the government and the industry should work together to build a strong telecom ecosystem.
Referring to the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Minister explained that the Telecom Act 2023 has made major changes to the 140-year-old laws, which will help in adopting new technology and strengthening customer protection. He also mentioned the telecom reforms of 2021, which have improved the financial condition of companies.
In the area of connectivity, he described BharatNet as the world’s largest rural broadband programme, and said it aims to connect more than 2.6 lakh village panchayats. The Minister informed that the 5G rollout in the country has been completed in about 22 months, with more than 5.1 lakh base stations and more than 40 crore users. Subsequently, the total number of telecom users in the country has been increased to 1.22 crore, and the data rate is among the highest in the world. The government has taken several steps to curb digital fraud, including disabling of over 8.8 lakh fake connections by ASTR and strengthening the ‘Chakshu’ platform. However, the minister expressed concern that Indian telecom companies are spending less than 1 per cent on research and development (R&D), while global companies invest 15-25 per cent.
Comments are closed.