NEW DELHI: Government on Thursday came out with a draft telecom policy that factors in opportunities and challenges presented by next-generation technologies such as 5G/6G, artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT), quantum communications, satellite network, and blockchain.The draft of the new policy – released by the department of telecom – also aims at attracting Rs 1 lakh crore investments annually, while creating 10 lakh new jobs in the sector by 2030.“The policy would enable an agile, future-ready regulatory and policy ecosystem that promotes collaboration between the government, industry, academia, startups, and international standard forums. 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 said.
The policy also outlined a detailed road map for boosting investment in research, upskilling of workforce, infrastructure modernisation, and effective spectrum management for emerging use cases across smart cities, industry, rural broadband, emergency response, and digital governance.“NTP-25 sets a bold and inclusive trajectory for the next decade – empowering every Indian with meaningful connectivity, driving innovation-led growth, reinforcing digital sovereignty, and securing India’s place in the global digital economy,” the draft said, adding it aims to accomplish the following strategic objectives – universal and meaningful connectivity for all, and double the contribution of the sector to India’s GDP.DoT has invited public comments on the proposed policy within 21 days from the date the circular was issued.The policy will aim to make India not only a leading consumer of digital technologies, but also a trusted global provider of telecom products, services, and solutions.The policy aims to double the export of telecom products and services, the number of telecommunications startups and the sectoral R&D spending on emerging telecom technologies.It has set a target to create an innovation-centric non-profit company and attain 10% global share in 6G-related intellectual property rights by 2030.
