India has formally joined the United States and 24 other countries in a global initiative aimed at shaping the future of 6G telecommunications, marking a significant step in the country’s push to play a bigger role in next-generation connectivity standards.
The US Department of Commerce announced the development on Monday, confirming that India had come on board after a bilateral meeting between US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and India’s Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Jitin Prasada. The two leaders met on the sidelines of the G20 Innovation Ministerial, held in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, from September 1 to 2, an event jointly hosted by the US Department of Commerce and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
What the 6G Alliance Aims to Achieve
The coalition, now comprising 27 nations including the US and India, has been formed to guide how 6G networks are designed, built, and deployed worldwide. Unlike previous generations of mobile technology that focused primarily on faster browsing and streaming speeds, 6G is expected to enable far broader applications, including smart city infrastructure, autonomous vehicles, and highly automated manufacturing systems.
Officials at the ministerial also reached consensus on a set of guidelines referred to as the Carolina Principles for Emerging Technologies. These principles call on member nations to invest in foundational research, build stronger pathways for commercialising new technology, and encourage trusted adoption of emerging systems. The ministerial additionally produced the AI Prosperity Objectives and the AI Prosperity Compact, both intended to expand technical workforce training and open up private-sector collaboration across G20 economies.
India–U.S. cooperation in semiconductors, AI and data centres can drive jobs, innovation and a stronger digital economy. 🇮🇳🤝🇺🇸#DigitalIndia #SEMICONIndia #IndiaAI@howardlutnick @CommerceGov @JitinPrasada pic.twitter.com/vCspEvnwL0
— National e-Governance Division (@NeGD_GoI) September 8, 2026
During their meeting, Jitin Prasada and Lutnick also went beyond 6G to discuss cooperation on other fast-growing technology areas, including semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and data centres. The two sides explored possibilities for American investment under India Semiconductor Mission 2.0, with New Delhi keen to attract global chipmakers to set up manufacturing operations in the country. Officials see this as a way to strengthen India’s technological capabilities and give a boost to its domestic electronics manufacturing base.
India’s Domestic 6G Push Gathers Pace
India’s decision to join the alliance comes alongside its own expanding domestic efforts to build 6G capability. The Bharat 6G Alliance, a government-backed grouping that brings together telecom operators, equipment manufacturers, startups, universities, and research institutions, had grown to around 90 members by July 2026.
The country has also been investing heavily in foundational research. According to the Department of Telecommunications, more than 111 research projects have received government funding exceeding ₹300 crore, with work concentrated on terahertz communication, AI-native network architecture, and indigenous chipset development. India has separately set a target of holding at least 10 percent of global 6G patents by 2030 and has already climbed into the top six countries worldwide in 6G patent filings.