India Endorses Global 6G Leadership and Security Initiative
India has formally endorsed the Call to Action for 6G Leadership and Security, joining a coalition of 24 like-minded governments including Canada, Costa Rica, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Norway, Paraguay, Republic of Korea, Romania, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The endorsement was announced on September 9, 2026, on the sidelines of the G20 Innovation Ministerial held in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, under the United States' G20 Presidency on September 1-2, 2026.
The initiative commits participating nations to shaping sixth-generation wireless communications based on principles of openness, interoperability, security, resilience, resource efficiency, and innovation-led competition. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) will coordinate India's engagement under the Call to Action, working with government agencies, industry, academia, and other stakeholders to implement follow-up activities.
Implementation Timeline and Commitments
The Call to Action establishes a graduated implementation timeline with specific milestones. Within one month, each participating government must identify and designate expert 6G points of contact, designate the agency responsible for managing communications with the contact group, and prepare a preliminary list of relevant industry and academic stakeholders. Within three months, governments must engage the telecommunications sector to map the emerging landscape for secure and interoperable 6G, identify barriers to leadership, convene to examine findings, and begin identifying economic, political, and financial resources that could support 6G competitiveness.
Within six months, participants must strategize at expert level on supporting secure, resilient, sustainable, and innovative 6G supply chains over the long term, and consider how 6G leadership and security may be reflected in national and regional strategies. Within twelve months, participants are required to convene in person in 2027 to review progress, exchange lessons learned and best practices, and set priorities for the following year alongside relevant industry stakeholders.
Cooperation Areas and Strategic Objectives
The initiative identifies several avenues for international cooperation, including coordination and information-sharing on 6G research and development; collaboration among trade and development finance agencies to support deployment of secure and resilient 5G and 6G technologies in global markets; assessment of technical and strategic cybersecurity risks associated with telecommunications sector investments; greater transparency on supply chain developments and vulnerabilities; realizing the full potential of 5G systems for industrial, commercial, security, and defense applications; and working with industry to shape global 6G standards, including strong security standards, in standards development organizations.
The Call to Action explicitly states that participation does not bind or limit any government's authority to pursue independent positioning or autonomy in relation to industry-driven standards bodies, and each participant's next steps will vary according to national priorities, resources, and capabilities. It also cautions against duplicating technical work already underway in industry-led standardization fora.
India's Domestic Context and Strategic Goals
India's participation builds on established domestic initiatives including the Bharat 6G Vision, the Bharat 6G Alliance, and the indigenous 4G and 5G technology stack. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India aims to contribute 10% of global 6G standards and patents. The initiative advances Union Minister of Communications and DoNER Jyotiraditya M. Scindia's commitment to position India as a global leader in 6G and supports Minister of State for Communications Dr. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani's emphasis on transforming India from a technology adopter to a standard-setter.
In line with the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat and the goal of Viksit Bharat 2047, India's engagement under the Call to Action will complement ongoing work in international standardization and spectrum fora, without prejudice to India's independent positions in those fora. The announcement was marked by a handshake between Shri Jitin Prasada, Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, and Electronics and Information Technology, and Mr. Howard Lutnick, United States Secretary of Commerce.