India and Australia should work together in framing an ethical regulatory framework for the sixth generation (6G) technology, Australian High Commissioner to India Barry O’Farrell said on Wednesday.
Speaking at a conference organised by the Consumer Unity Trust Society (CUTS), O’Farrell highlighted the need for India and Australia to work together on framing an ethical regulatory framework for the emerging and critical 6G technology.
He called the two countries natural partners based on their shared democratic values and facing common cyber threats from state and non-state cyber actors.
Consumer Unity Trust Society (CUTS) organised a conference titled ‘Identifying Elements of Ethical and Regulatory Framework for 6G and Creating Opportunities for India Australia’, in partnership with the Australian Risk Policy Institute (ARPI), and the International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore (IIIT-B).
The conference was supported by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Department of Telecommunication (DoT), Government of India.
Recognising India as a leader in the Indo-Pacific region, he re-emphasised Australia’s commitment to invest in and collaborate with India to develop its potential in the cyber-space. Apart from government-to-government interaction, he called for close collaboration between different stakeholders (civil society organisations, think tanks, industry etc) from both countries to unlock opportunities in this regard.
The India-Australia partnership was also considered to be imperative for ensuring an open, safe, and resilient cyberspace in the Indo-Pacific region.
S P Kochhar, Director General, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), echoed similar views but called for a focus on the implementation of the India-Australia partnership on the subject, else the effort may remain an academic exercise. Thus, taking industry onboard from both countries assumes importance.
He also emphasised the importance of focussing not just on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) but expanding it to include Electronics and Cyberspace as well, calling it ICTEC. He also cautioned against individual countries trying to establish country-specific standards, which deviate from international standards and could be detrimental to a global and interoperable 6G.
Abhay Shanker Verma, Deputy Director General (Mobile Technologies), Telecom Engineering Centre, DoT, confirmed that India and Australia are already working together at the Quad level on relevant subject areas. He further traced India’s steps from being far behind and a mere adopter of international telecommunication standards at the time of 2G/ 3G, to now aspiring to become a contributor to the international 6G standards. He also mentioned that the DoT’s technology innovation group is currently preparing a vision document for 6G.
Pradeep Mehta, Secretary General, CUTS, said the emerging 6G technology will be crucial in bolstering artificial intelligence, the internet of things, blockchain and other advanced technologies. However, the uptake and success of such technologies were stated to be dependent upon framing optimal regulations on privacy, cyber-security, and consumer protection.
Lastly, he suggested the India-Australia partnership to also focus on bolstering mobile manufacturing in India and unlocking opportunities for enabling trade and investment between the two countries.
