- Why in news
- On 22 July 2026 the Government told the Lok Sabha that the Bharat 6G Alliance has grown to 90 members as of 15 July 2026. It also listed the 6G Spectrum Roadmap, a Terahertz testbed and support for 6G standardisation.
- What it is
- The Bharat 6G Alliance (B6GA) is an industry and academia-led society that works towards India's 6G Vision. It brings together telecom firms, equipment makers, startups, research bodies and academia. It works through working groups on technology, spectrum, applications, devices, green aspects and outreach.
- Membership
- B6GA has 90 members as of 15 July 2026, drawn from operators, equipment makers, startups, R&D bodies and academia.
- Working groups
- B6GA has seven working groups, including 6G technologies, spectrum, applications, devices and components, green and sustainability aspects, and outreach.
- Terahertz testbed
- A three-year 6G Terahertz testbed project is approved at SAMEER, Kolkata, with IIT Madras, IIT Guwahati and IIT Patna as consortium members. It is funded from the Telecom Technology Development Fund under Digital Bharat Nidhi.
- ITU IMT-2030
- India contributed to ITU's IMT-2030 framework (6G). It pushed for ubiquitous connectivity as a usage scenario, and coverage, interoperability and sustainability as capabilities.
- TDIP scheme
- The DoT's TDIP scheme gives financial help to startups and MSMEs for membership fees, standards meetings, hosting meetings in India, and pilot testing and validation of products.
Don’t confuse with ITU vs 3GPP: ITU is the UN agency that sets the IMT framework for mobile technology. 3GPP is an industry standards partnership that writes the technical specifications.
Don’t confuse with Alliance vs DoT roadmap: The B6GA spectrum working group submitted a report. The DoT separately released the official Spectrum Roadmap for 6G after consulting stakeholders.
Science and technology: 57 Prelims questions since 2013; most test the concept behind the news, not the news itself. In Mains, 12 news-triggered questions.
Why it matters
- Helps India shape global 6G standards instead of only adopting them.
- Links industry, academia and startups to build home-grown research and IPR.
Problems
- Spectrum availability and harmonisation for 6G bands, including terahertz, are yet to be settled.
- Startups and MSMEs may find sustained participation in global standards bodies costly.
Way forward
- Turn testbeds into pilots and commercial products with continued funding.
- Expand TDIP support and file more patents in standards.
Put in your answer
TDIP scheme: Example of state support for standardisation participation by startups and MSMEs.
No close past question yet.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: 90-member industry-academia body with 7 working groups and a 6G spectrum roadmap; few facts a statement can turn on.
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.