Government Unveils Draft Telecom Policy to Power Next-Gen Tech Like 6G
New Delhi: The government on Thursday released a draft of its new telecom policy, aiming to position India at the forefront of next-generation technologies such as 5G, 6G, artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), quantum communications, satellite networks, and blockchain. The draft, issued by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), seeks to attract investments of Rs 1 lakh crore annually and create 10 lakh new jobs in the sector by 2030.
According to the draft, the policy is designed to foster an agile, future-ready regulatory and policy ecosystem that encourages collaboration among government, industry, academia, startups, and international standards bodies. “With this policy, India aims to emerge not only as a leading consumer of digital technologies, but also as a trusted global provider of telecom products, services, and solutions,” the draft states.
The policy outlines a comprehensive roadmap to boost investment in research, workforce upskilling, infrastructure modernization, and effective spectrum management. These efforts are targeted at supporting emerging use cases across smart cities, industry, rural broadband, emergency response, and digital governance.
Dubbed NTP-25, the policy sets an ambitious vision for the next decade, aiming to empower every Indian with meaningful connectivity, drive innovation-led growth, reinforce digital sovereignty, and secure India’s place in the global digital economy. Key strategic objectives include universal and meaningful connectivity for all, and doubling the telecom sector’s contribution to India’s GDP.
The draft policy also aims to double the export of telecom products and services, increase the number of telecommunications startups, and boost sectoral R&D spending on emerging technologies. It sets a target to create an innovation-centric non-profit company and achieve a 10% global share in 6G-related intellectual property rights by 2030.
The DoT has invited public comments on the proposed policy within 21 days from the date of the circular’s issuance.
