Nokia opened a 6G lab at its India R&D facility, a move which will see the Finnish vendor contribute to the nation’s Bharat 6G Alliance designed to explore future adoption of the next-generation network.

The laboratory is located in its research hub in Bangalore and is the first of its kind in the country, the vendor claimed.

Nokia noted it will be used to test a range of use cases to boost the development of 6G, aligned with PM Narendra Modi’s ambition to give India a key global role in the standardisation and implementation of the technology.

India’s flagship Bharat 6G Alliance includes participation from industry giants including Airtel, Jio, Vodafone Idea and Tech Mahindra.

The facility is also expected to form a common view with international alliances, including Europe’s flagship 6G research projects, Hexa-X and Hexa-X-II.

Explorations in the laboratory will include research on network-as-a-sensor technology, which has been tipped to enable sensing of objects and movements.  The site will also feature an experimental platform for researching algorithms, privacy and sustainable system design.

Nokia also expects the 6G lab will function as a platform for industry collaborations to explore the technology’s commercial opportunities.

Ashwini Vaishnaw, minister of Railways, Communications, Electronics and IT added the lab will explore use cases around transportation safety, healthcare and education.