The national character of Indian science

India has not come up with any cutting-edge technology but takes pride in its rising patent numbers as proof of scientific prowess

- LATHA JISHNU

WE FOLLOWED the world in 4G, we marched with the world in 5G, but we will lead the world in 6G. That’s a refrain one always gets to hear from the Union Minister of Communications, Jyotiraditya Scindia, at industry meets, press conferences and discussion groups. In November last year, in an interaction with a Delhi newspaper, the minister's claims became grander: India would be leading the 6G pack and setting the standards for 6G worldwide.

How does one view such statements? Political propaganda, wilful ignorance, or an implacable belief that India cannot but be the leader in this field, despite evidence to the contrary? Let’s take 5G first. India launched this on October 1, 2022, three years after South Korea kicked off the superfast era of connectivity. During that period, at least 70 other countries had deployed 5G in close to 2,000 cities. India was the late entrant, its adoption of 5G stymied by bungled policies and poor infrastructure (see “India is patently way behind on 5G”, Down To Earth, 16-31 October, 2022).

As for 6G, India is several leagues behind key players who have positioned themselves strategically in the field and are already setting the rules for this technology. When Scindia spoke of leading the world in 6G, surely he must have been aware that months earlier, China had made news, and big news at that, by establishing three pivotal 6G technology standards under the auspices of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)? Experts said the development marked “a significant advance in setting the international framework for next-gen telecommunications”.