India, UK strengthen AI and telecom partnership

New Delhi, Feb 18 (IANS) India’s Minister of State for Communications, Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, held a meeting with the UK’s Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for AI and Online Safety, Kanishka Narayan, here on Wednesday, reaffirming the growing depth of India–UK cooperation in telecommunications, digital innovation, and emerging technologies.

During the discussions on the sidelines of the AI Summit, the minister emphasised that India views artificial intelligence as central to the future of telecommunications. He noted that combining India’s scale with the United Kingdom’s research strengths can help shape global standards in AI-native networks, Open RAN, and 6G, ensuring that technology drives both growth and trust.

Chandra Sekhar also highlighted India’s National Quantum Mission and pointed out the enormous potential for collaboration in quantum communications and secure networks.

Both sides reviewed progress under the DoT–DCMS MoU and welcomed the operationalisation of the India–UK Connectivity and Innovation Centre, endorsed at India Mobile Congress 2025.

Discussions focused on deepening cooperation in AI applications for telecom networks, including autonomous network management, AI-driven cybersecurity, spectrum innovation, and non-terrestrial networks. Both sides expressed interest in joint research, pilot deployments, and coordinated engagement in global standardisation forums such as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and 3GPP.

India and the United Kingdom also exchanged insights on ongoing efforts to prevent telecom fraud and digital scams through the use of artificial intelligence. India highlighted initiatives such as the Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI), the Sanchar Saathi platform, and the deployment of AI-based anti-spam and fraud detection tools by Telecom Service Providers (TSPs). The UK side shared its experience with open data frameworks and strong deterrence-based regulatory measures as key elements of its approach.

Besides, India sought the support of the United Kingdom for key multilateral engagements at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), including the candidature of. M. Revathi for the position of Director, Radiocommunication Bureau (BR), ITU and India’s re-election to the ITU Council for the term 2027–2030, reaffirming its continued contribution to global telecom governance and standardisation. India’s proposal to host the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-2030), reflecting India’s commitment to shaping an inclusive, secure, and future-ready global digital ecosystem, was also taken up.

Further, India highlighted its rapid 5G rollout, expansion of rural connectivity, digital public infrastructure, and citizen-centric telecom governance initiatives.

The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to strengthen structured institutional engagement and build secure, trusted, and future-ready digital infrastructure in both countries.

–IANS

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