Modi inaugurates ITU innovation centre in New Delhi

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, 22 March, inaugurated the new International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Area Office and Innovation Centre in New Delhi.

During the event, the prime minister also unveiled the Bharat 6G Vision Document and launched 6G Research and Development Test Bed and Call before u Dig App.

Speaking on the occasion, Modi said the country was moving towards the next step of digital revolution. He added that this decade is India's technological era. The politician highlighted the rapid spread of 5G services in the country and said India was one of the leading countries in the world for the adoption of 5G services.

He said more than 125 cities and 350 districts have received 5G services in a short period of 120 days. Modi said India was going to set up 100 5G laboratories in the country to help in developing applications and technologies according to the unique needs of the country.

The Prime Minister said telecom technology is not only a way of powering the country but also a mission of empowerment. He said several steps have been taken in the last nine years to increase the speed of digital coverage.

According to Modi, there were 60 million users of broadband access in the country till 2014 and now the number has reached to 800 million. He said the speed of digital economy is 2.5 per cent faster than the growth rate of the economy.

Modi also said reducing the regional gap was one of his priorities during his G20 presidency. He said countries of the global south were working to close the technology gap. The Indian politician said the country's capacity, innovation, infrastructure, skilled workforce and a conducive policy environment are the foundations of these expectations.

The new regional office and innovation centre of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) will operate in New Delhi. It will serve India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Afghanistan and Iran and will strengthen coordination between countries and facilitate mutually beneficial economic cooperation in the region.

Bharat 6G Vision Document and 6G Test bed will provide an appropriate environment for innovation, capacity building and faster adoption of technology in the country. The Bharat 6G Vision Document has been prepared by the Technology Innovation Group, set up in 2021 to develop a roadmap and action plans for sixth generation cellular networks in the country, as reported by the official website of the Government of India.

The 6G Test Bed will provide academic institutions, industry, start-ups and MSMEs with a platform to test and verify emerging information and communication technologies. The Call Before U dig app is a tool designed to prevent damage to major assets, such as fibre optic cables, that occurs due to uncoordinated excavation and digging. The mobile app will connect construction equipment owners and asset owners via SMS and email notifications.

Photo: flickr.com