Nokia, a global technology leader, has announced the establishment of a groundbreaking 6G Lab at its esteemed Global Research and Development (R&D) center in Bangalore, India.
This unique initiative is designed to accelerate the development of fundamental technologies and revolutionary use cases powered by 6G technology, catering to the future needs of both industries and society. The Lab was inaugurated virtually by the Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Railways, Communications, Electronics & IT, Government of India.
The 6G Lab by Nokia aligns with the Government of India’s ambitious ‘Bharat 6G Vision’ championed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This vision sees India playing a pivotal global role in the standardization, development, and implementation of 6G technology. The Lab will serve as a collaborative platform for industry stakeholders, facilitating the testing of innovative solutions and evaluating their potential for commercialization.
The state-of-the-art Lab encompasses research into ‘Network as a Sensor’ technology, enabling networks to sense objects, people, and movements without requiring onboard sensors. In the era of 6G, ‘Network as a Sensor’ is identified as a crucial enabling technology that integrates sensing fully into the wireless network. It operates in parallel with communication services, offering remarkable possibilities such as perceiving surroundings, gathering information, and interacting with objects remotely. Additionally, the Lab will provide an experimental platform for exploring algorithms, privacy measures, and sustainable system design.
Nokia has been at the forefront of 6G initiatives globally, engaging in several projects and collaborations with industry peers, customers, academia, and research institutions. The primary objective is to establish a unified vision and direction for 6G, including participation in projects like 6G Hexa-X and Hexa-X-II, the inaugural and subsequent phases of the European 6G Flagship. Nokia is also a founding member of the Next G Alliance, propelling the 6G ecosystem in North America, and is actively involved in coordinating the German Lighthouse project 6G ANNA.
“The inauguration of the Nokia 6G research lab in Bengaluru today is another step towards PM Narendra Modi’s vision of making India an innovation hub. Interesting use cases coming out of this lab will be related to transportation safety, health care and education which will be another big contribution in the entire Digital India suite,” Ashwini Vaishnaw said.
“Nokia is honored to contribute towards the realization of the Indian government’s Bharat 6G vision. We look forward to collaborating with key stakeholders to help India become a major player in 6G technology development and adoption; and take its place in the global arena as a leading developer and supplier of advanced telecom technologies and solutions,” Nishant Batra, Chief Strategy and Technology Officer of Nokia, said.
Nokia’s experts stationed at its Bengaluru center are committed to supporting India’s aspiration to make significant contributions to global 6G technology standards. The company is also in the process of establishing research collaborations with premier research institutes in India, including IISc and IITs, to further bolster the 6G research initiative in the country.
