India has joined a US-led international initiative to guide the development and deployment of next-generation 6G telecommunications networks, the US Department of Commerce announced on Monday, September 7.
The agreement was finalised after a bilateral meeting between US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and India’s Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada on the sidelines of the G20 Innovation Ministerial in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
The US Department of Commerce said India had joined the United States and 24 other countries in an effort to ensure that future networks reflect shared security interests, strengthen competitiveness and support innovation in 6G. The department announced the development in a post on X.
Prasada led the Indian delegation at the G20 Innovation Ministers’ meeting, held on September 1 and 2 and hosted by the US Department of Commerce and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. According to India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the delegation included Ajit Kumar, joint secretary at MeitY, along with senior officials from MeitY, the Department of Science and Technology, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, and the Embassy of India in the US.
The ministerial meeting concluded with the release of a G20 Innovation Ministerial Statement. The statement recognised the potential of emerging technologies to improve productivity, expand opportunity and support prosperity, according to the report.
During his bilateral meeting with Lutnick, Prasada also discussed cooperation in semiconductors, artificial intelligence and data centres. He encouraged the possibility of greater US investment in India’s India Semiconductor Mission 2.0 and proposed strengthening the technology partnership on AI, including a mechanism for AI safeguards.
In a post on X, Prasada described semiconductors, AI and data centres as critical building blocks of the emerging digital economy. He said the discussions examined ways to deepen practical collaboration and advance technology-led opportunities between India and the United States.
India’s participation places 6G within a wider technology cooperation agenda involving communications infrastructure, chip manufacturing, computing capacity and artificial intelligence. The US Department of Commerce said the initiative would focus on shaping the direction of next-generation networks, although the announcement did not provide details on a shared implementation timetable, funding structure or specific projects involving India.
The development follows India’s stated efforts to expand its role in emerging technology and digital infrastructure. The Indian delegation also highlighted areas including digital public infrastructure, robotics, AI and semiconductors during the G20 engagements.
The next steps for the 6G initiative, including its institutional framework, technical priorities and participating-country mechanisms, were not specified in the announcement. Further details are expected through the participating governments and relevant technology agencies.
