NOV 05: The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) led the thematic session on ‘Digital Communication’ at the Emerging Science, Technology & Innovation Conclave (ESTIC) 2025, held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. The session, chaired by Dr. Neeraj Mittal, Secretary (Telecom) and Chairman, Digital Communications Commission, brought together leading experts from government, academia, and industry to discuss the future of telecom and India’s 6G ambitions.
In his address, Dr. Mittal described telecom as “an enabler of all technologies and a key driver of India’s growth.” He highlighted India’s rapid 5G rollout and establishment of 100 5G labs across the country to develop innovative use cases and strengthen the 6G R&D ecosystem.
Emphasizing a multi-pronged approach, Dr. Mittal said the government is supporting over 100 R&D projects focused on next-generation technologies such as Open RAN, indigenous chipsets, AI-based networks, and regulatory sandboxes. The Bharat 6G Alliance, he noted, has already forged 10 global partnerships and aims for India to contribute 10% of global 6G patents by 2030.
Key addresses were delivered by Prof. Kiran Kumar Kuchi (IIT Hyderabad), Shri Ramu Srinivasaiah (Lekha Wireless), and Dr. Kumar Sivarajan (Tejas Networks). A panel on “Taking Indigenous Technologies to the Next Level,” moderated by Dr. Rajkumar Upadhyay (C-DOT), explored India’s telecom innovation ecosystem and path to global leadership in digital communications.
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