UK-India Launch £24 Million Connectivity Centre to Advance 6G Technology

The United Kingdom and India have launched the India-UK Connectivity and Innovation Centre during the India Mobile Congress 2025 in New Delhi, marking a significant advancement in bilateral technology cooperation. This strategic partnership positions both nations at the forefront of next-generation telecommunications, focusing on 6G development, AI-driven networks, and secure digital infrastructure.

£24 Million Joint Investment Framework

The Centre is jointly administered by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and India's Department of Telecommunications (DoT) under the UK-India Technology Security Initiative. Both governments have committed £24 million over four years to support collaborative research, industry partnerships, joint testbeds, and global technical standards development. Industry partners including BT, Ericsson, and Nokia have committed direct contributions to research areas.​

Three Core Technology Pillars

The Centre focuses on artificial intelligence-driven telecommunications, utilizing AI to optimize network operations and create autonomous systems that deliver smarter, faster connectivity. The second priority addresses Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs), developing satellite and hybrid architectures to provide high-speed connectivity to rural and remote regions. The third pillar emphasizes telecommunications cybersecurity and interoperability, establishing security frameworks and open standards to protect communications infrastructure against cyber threats.​

Strategic Timing and Global Standards Leadership

The Centre's establishment positions the India-UK partnership to influence international 6G standards during the critical period when technological and commercial parameters are taking shape globally. This aligns with India's Bharat 6G Alliance objectives and the UK's strategic push for diversified, secure telecom supply chains. The partnership builds on the £7 million joint research programme on Future Telecoms launched in 2024 and collaboration between India's Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) and the UK's Smart RAN Open Network Interoperability Centre (SONIC).​

Commercial Pathways and Economic Impact

The Centre enables industry partners to innovate, test, and scale emerging telecommunications products through clear pathways from laboratory testing to field trials and market adoption. This links university research with commercial applications, allowing academic discoveries to rapidly translate into solutions that benefit both economies. The initiative operates under a coordinated governance structure leveraging the National Security Advisors of both countries, with progress reviews at six-month intervals at Deputy NSA level.​

The India-UK Connectivity and Innovation Centre establishes a framework for how nations can collaborate on critical infrastructure technologies while maintaining security, promoting innovation, and creating economic opportunities in the emerging 6G ecosystem.