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As the race for 6G leadership intensifies, it is becoming clear that no single state can shape the future of connectivity in isolation.
Image Source: Getty
This article is part of the essay series - Nations, Networks, Narratives: World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2025.
Addressing the nation in his Independence Day speech, 2023, Prime Minister (PM) Modi declared that India was preparing itself to enter the 6G era. This rode on several other achievements. Besides taking its place among the world’s top five largest economies, India has provided some of the most affordable Internet services and mobile data plans globally. Moreover, its rollout of 5G was among the fastest and most extensive in the world. 6G, the PM said, would take telecommunication in exciting new directions, and he outlined how India had begun working to make that happen. What is 6G, though? And why does it matter?
6G, or sixth-generation wireless, is the forthcoming standard for mobile communications, expected to succeed 5G and revolutionise connectivity by the early 2030s. Building upon the capabilities of 5G, 6G networks aim to offer unprecedented data speeds, ultra-low latency, the capacity to support far larger numbers of devices, and the ability to seamlessly integrate previously disparate advanced technologies such as big data analytics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Extended Reality (XR), and ubiquitous sensing.
Intelligent knowledge systems will be combined with robust computation capabilities, merging network, application, and processor roles.”
As Bell Labs puts it, “6G networks will fuse the digital, physical, and human worlds, opening the door to extrasensory experiences. Intelligent knowledge systems will be combined with robust computation capabilities, merging network, application, and processor roles.”
6G is currently at the research and development (R&D) stage. However, the steady progress being made, alongside ongoing efforts by bodies such as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and 3rd Generation Partnership (3GPP) to define 6G standards and frameworks, means that 6G networks could be ready for commercial deployment and adoption in another five years.
| Comparing 5G and 6G | |||
| Feature | 5G | 6G (expected) | |
| 1 | Peak data rate | ~10 Gbps | Up to 1 Tbps |
| 2 | Latency | ~1 millisecond | <0.1 milliseconds |
| 3 | Bandwidth | mmWave (24 – 100 GHz) | THz (100 GHz – 10 THz) |
| 4 | AI integration | Partial | Native and persistent |
| 5 | Connectivity density | ~1 million devices/km2 | 10 million+ devices/km2 |
| 6 | Energy efficiency | Improved over 4G | Significant focus |
Source: Author’s own, compiled from various sources.
As with 5G earlier, and AI at present, the race for 6G supremacy has begun. This might seem premature, given that the build-out of 5G is still underway, with around 320 networks worldwide, and a global population coverage of only around 55 percent at the end of 2024. However, the furiously competitive efforts at 6G development are in fact prescient and strategic as 6G represents a new frontier of technological, economic, and geopolitical power.
6G will set global benchmarks for wireless communications post-2030. Thus, the country or coalition that leads its development will get to shape international technical standards—much like Huawei influencing the 5G standards—ensuring that its own companies and technologies become foundational. Indeed, the global adoption of a country’s 6G ecosystem stands to create long-term dependencies and bring enormous geopolitical influence. Moreover, with 6G driving a new generation of industrial applications in areas— including robotics, autonomous systems, smart manufacturing, and XR— countries that dominate 6G will be able to boost the competitiveness of key economic sectors. Finally, 6G dominance will translate into a national security advantage in terms of defence tech and cyber operations.
However, the furiously competitive efforts at 6G development are in fact prescient and strategic as 6G represents a new frontier of technological, economic, and geopolitical power.
China and the United States (US) are already locked into a bitter battle for 6G leadership. In November 2020, the Chinese government launched the world’s first 6G satellite designed to explore ultra-high-frequency bands and assess space-based Internet integration for 6G. Telecom operators China Mobile, Huawei and ZTE have been conducting early-stage 6G trials; and since 2023, a host of Chinese and foreign telecom and smartphone companies have taken part in the country’s 6G tests and technical trials. On the whole, China appears to be emerging as a frontrunner in 6G experimentation.
“Only American leadership will prevent the disaster of Chinese 6G dominance,” proclaimed a recent op-ed in the United Kingdom’s (UK) The Telegraph. Having found itself lagging and reactive during the rise of 5G, the US is determined not to repeat the same mistakes in the new telecom war. The Next G Alliance, spearheaded by the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS), is the US’s flagship 6G programme. The ATIS, whose members include tech giants such as Apple, Google, Microsoft, Intel, AT&T, and Qualcomm, is implementing a Roadmap to 6G that prioritises network trustworthiness, global competitiveness, and sustainability. Concurrently, the US Department of Defense is running a 6G R&D initiative, investing in military and dual-use applications of 6G such as secure edge computing and battlefield communication.
The European Union (EU), too, has committed a significant volume of funding to 6G research and innovation under its Horizon Europe initiative. Hexa-X, a pioneering European 6G research initiative coordinated by Nokia, brings together 25 industry partners to build 6G architecture, AI-driven networks, and new spectrum cases. Advancing factory automation and Industry 4.0 is the focus of 6G BRAINS, an EU-funded initiative that seeks to integrate AI and sensing into 6G environments.
On the other side of the globe, in East Asia, the 6G prowess of Japan and South Korea is also becoming increasingly apparent, with both nations conducting powerful R&D and pilot programmes.
Away from the glare of great-power rivalries, India is working steadily towards becoming a first mover in the 6G space. As Jyotiraditya Scindia, the country’s Minister of Communications, said, “It is our belief and commitment that India, which followed the world in 4G and marched with it in 5G, will lead the world in 6G.”
While it is too early yet to assess outcomes, India is actively laying the groundwork for its 6G ecosystem by combining visionary policy frameworks with strategic investments and promoting partnerships between government, academia, and industry.
In March 2023, PM Modi unveiled the Bharat 6G Vision Document—a roadmap for 6G development that emphasises the three principles of 6G—affordability, sustainability, and ubiquity. The idea of multistakeholderism was intricately woven into the Vision Document’s fabric: it had been prepared by a Technology Innovation Group on 6G (TIG-6G) that comprised representatives from ministries, research institutions, standardisation bodies, telecom service providers, and other tech companies. A core element of the vision is to ensure that India not only develops 6G technology but also becomes a major contributor to its evolution. Parallelly, India has launched a 6G R&D Testbed as a platform for academia, industry players, and startups to test and validate emerging 6G technologies. The Testbed is expected to help accelerate 6G innovation, capacity building, and adoption.
Away from the glare of great-power rivalries, India is working steadily towards becoming a first mover in the 6G space..
Complementing this multistakeholder approach, the government has also established the Bharat 6G Alliance (B6GA), whose members are undertaking the design and deployment of 6G technologies that are affordable and aligned with international standards. Over 100 domestic and international 6G research proposals have been approved as part of this drive to align standards, and B6GA has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Europe’s 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association (6G-IA) for joint research projects, knowledge exchange programmes, and the co-development of standards.
Underlying its other interventions, high-end 6G R&D— with the establishment of 100 dedicated supporting labs and the entry of foreign tech companies’ research facilities—is an essential component of the Indian approach. Concomitantly, the country is working to increase its contributions to the global 6G patent pool. India has currently secured more than 200 6G-related patents, and the government aims to contribute at least 10 percent of global 6G patents by 2030.
The sprint towards 6G is not a matter of premature ambition but a strategic necessity. However, its pursuit should not be reduced purely to a zero-sum competition among a few technologically advanced powers. From China’s cutting-edge 6G experiments, and the strides being made by the US and the EU, to the rise of East Asia’s high-impact pilots, and the agility of India’s emerging-market efforts, there is a growing recognition that no single country can build the future of connectivity in isolation.
The age of 6G will demand more than speed and scale—it will require vision and responsibility.
Going forward, multilateral bodies and member states must work together to co-create international standards, agree on equitable access to spectrum, and support inclusive R&D ecosystems. Public investments should prioritise long-term innovation and capacity development over short-term commercial gains, and sensitively crafted policy frameworks must address emerging concerns around privacy, cybersecurity, ethics, environmental impact, and interoperability with earlier generations of networks.
The age of 6G will demand more than speed and scale—it will require vision and responsibility. World Telecommunication and Information Society Day is an apt occasion for governments, businesses, and others to remind themselves of the need to think beyond ‘winning’ and to explore newer avenues for cooperation.
Anirban Sarma is the Director of the Centre for Digital Societies at the Observer Research Foundation.
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Anirban Sarma is Director of the Digital Societies Initiative at the Observer Research Foundation. His research explores issues of technology policy, with a focus on ...
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