**Executive Summary**
On February 18, 2026, India and Sweden convened a bilateral meeting to discuss strengthening strategic cooperation in telecommunications and digital innovation, covering areas like 5G, 6G, Open RAN, quantum technologies, and cybersecurity. They acknowledged the India-Sweden Joint Working Group (JWG) on Digital Technologies and Economy as the principal mechanism. The two sides expressed intention for early scheduling of the third JWG meeting in Stockholm.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Strategic Partnership and Priorities:**
* Digital and telecom cooperation is a key pillar of the India-Sweden strategic partnership.
* Shared priorities include next-generation connectivity, secure digital infrastructure, innovation-driven growth, and sustainability, with emphasis on inclusive and economically viable digital transformation aligned with clean energy transitions.
* **Digital Infrastructure and Growth:**
* India has over 1.23 billion telecom subscribers and nearly one billion internet users.
* 4G coverage extends to 98.5% of the population, with universal 4G saturation targeted across all villages by June 2026.
* India has undertaken the world's fastest 5G rollout, completed in 21 months with investments of approximately USD 5.5 billion.
* Public capital expenditure of nearly USD 16.9 billion is being deployed to connect every Gram Panchayat.
* India's Digital Public Infrastructure model (Aadhaar, UPI, DigiLocker) enables secure digital governance and economic participation.
* **Areas of Collaboration:**
* Expanding collaboration in 5G and 5G-Advanced use cases across healthcare, agriculture, smart cities, and rural connectivity.
* Early engagement in 6G research, spectrum harmonization, and coordinated participation in international standard-setting processes.
* Cooperation in Open RAN, network modernization, and trusted supply chains.
* Identified five broad pillars of cooperation: 5G use cases, 6G collaboration and advanced test beds, Open RAN, quantum technologies, and industry-academia partnerships.
* **Emerging Areas and Institutional Support:**
* Discussions included quantum communication, post-quantum cryptography, and secure network architectures.
* Structured engagement on cybersecurity, telecom fraud mitigation, and risk-based regulatory frameworks.
* Continued institutional dialogue such as cybersecurity discussions in Stockholm.
* **Indian Proposals and Commitments:**
* India sought Sweden's support for Ms. M. Revathi's candidature for Director, Radiocommunication Bureau at the ITU.
* India sought Sweden's support for India's re-election to the ITU Council for the term 2027–2030.
* India proposed hosting the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in 2030.
* Reaffirmed commitment to building trusted networks, resilient supply chains, and inclusive digital ecosystems.
**Impact Analysis**
**Stakeholders:**
* **India Ministry of Communications & Development of the North Eastern Region**
* **Impact**: Responsible for executing agreed-upon collaborative projects and supporting initiatives in telecommunications and digital innovation.
* **Action Required**: Continued engagement in bilateral talks, active participation in the Joint Working Group (JWG) meetings, and implementation of policy and technical engagements.
* **Sweden Minister for Energy, Business, and Industry**
* **Impact**: Responsible for advancing Sweden's involvement in the digital partnership and ensuring alignment with sustainability goals.
* **Action Required**: Engage in the JWG meetings, coordinate with Swedish companies like Ericsson, and support the outlined collaborative projects.
* **Indian Telecom Operators & Subscribers**
* **Impact**: Benefiting from increased access to 4G and 5G technologies and advancements in digital infrastructure and security.
* **Action Required**: Leveraging new technologies and infrastructure for improved services and engagement with the evolving digital landscape.
* **Swedish Companies (e.g., Ericsson)**
* **Impact**: Opportunities for collaboration with India in enhancing accessibility and connectivity, particularly in 6G and Open RAN technologies.
* **Action Required**: Actively engage in partnerships, research, and development activities to contribute to the evolution of telecom networks.
* **International Telecommunication Union (ITU)**
* **Impact**: Potential for collaboration and support for India's proposals, including India's candidature and hosting conferences.
* **Action Required**: Consider and support India's proposals, fostering international standardization and cooperation in telecommunications.
Key Entities Referenced
India–Sweden Joint Working Group (JWG) on Digital Technologies and Economy: Principal institutional mechanism for structured policy and technical engagement between India and Sweden in the digital technologies and economy sector.
Jyotiraditya M. Scindia: Union Minister of Communications and Development of the North Eastern Region, India, who participated in the bilateral meeting.
Ebba Busch: Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden and Minister for Energy, Business, and Industry, who participated in the bilateral meeting.
Bharat 6G Alliance: India's initiative targeting contribution to global 6G patents.
International Telecommunication Union (ITU): Intergovernmental organization responsible for international standardization and coordination in telecommunications.
Ministry of Communications
India and Sweden Convene Bilateral Talks to
Strengthen Strategic Cooperation in
Telecommunications and Digital Innovation
India and Sweden Chart Future-Ready Collaboration in 5G,
6G, Open RAN, Quantum Technologies, and Cybersecurity
Posted On: 18 FEB 2026 6:04PM by PIB Delhi
A bilateral meeting was held on 18 February 2026 between Sh. Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Union Minister
of Communications and Development of the North Eastern Region, India, and Ms. Ebba Busch, Deputy
Prime Minister of Sweden and Minister for Energy, Business, and Industry, at Sanchar Bhawan, New
Delhi, to review ongoing cooperation and explore new avenues of collaboration in telecommunications
and digital transformation, with discussions also reflecting Sweden’s emphasis on sustainability, inclusive
enterprise development, and sustained global climate leadership.
Both sides reaffirmed that digital and telecom cooperation constitutes a key pillar of the India–Sweden
strategic partnership, reflecting shared priorities in next-generation connectivity, secure digital
infrastructure, innovation-driven growth, and sustainability, with emphasis on ensuring that digital
transformation remains inclusive, economically viable, and aligned with clean energy transitions.
Both sides acknowledged the India–Sweden Joint Working Group (JWG) on Digital Technologies and
Economy, which serves as the principal institutional mechanism for structured policy and technical
engagement. The two sides expressed intention for early scheduling of the third JWG meeting in
Stockholm to advance implementation-oriented outcomes.Discussions focused on expanding collaboration in 5G and 5G-Advanced use cases across healthcare,
agriculture, smart cities, and rural connectivity. Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden highlighted the
importance of integrating sustainability with enterprise development, underscoring that climate action
must be inclusive, economically viable, and innovation-driven. The Swedish side appreciated India’s
achievement of the world’s fastest 5G rollout and explored how Sweden, including companies such as
Ericsson, could contribute to enhancing accessibility and connectivity in India. Both sides recognised the
potential of combining Sweden’s strong research and industrial innovation ecosystem with India’s scale of
deployment and affordability-driven innovation to develop globally scalable solutions, including for
Global South contexts.
Hon’ble Minister Scindia shared India’s digital growth story, noting that India today has over 1.23 billion
telecom subscribers and nearly one billion internet users, with four telecom operators serving a
predominantly market-driven ecosystem. 4G coverage extends to 98.5% of the population, with universal
4G saturation targeted across all villages by June 2026. India has undertaken the world’s fastest 5G
rollout, completed in 21 months with investments of approximately USD 5.5 billion. Public capital
expenditure of nearly USD 16.9 billion is being deployed to connect every Gram Panchayat under one of
the world’s largest digital broadband networks. The role of the state-owned operator BSNL, which has
developed an indigenous 4G stack and serves over 93 million subscribers, was also highlighted, alongside
sustainability measures including increasing renewable energy usage in telecom towers and a clean energy
transition target by 2030.
India’s Digital Public Infrastructure model—anchored in Aadhaar, UPI and DigiLocker—was presented as
an inclusive and scalable framework enabling secure digital governance and economic participation,
underscoring that inclusivity remains at the heart of India’s connectivity strategy and that digital
infrastructure represents the “invisible highway” driving the next phase of economic growth.India and Sweden also discussed early engagement in 6G research, spectrum harmonization, and
coordinated participation in international standard-setting processes at the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU) and 3GPP. India highlighted the formation of the Bharat 6G Alliance
with a target of contributing at least 10% of global 6G patents, with participation from industry including
Ericsson, and proposed collaboration on joint 6G research, 1 THz test beds, and optical fiber test beds.
Both sides underlined the importance of interoperable, open, and secure architectures in the evolution of
next-generation networks.
Cooperation in Open RAN, network modernization, and trusted supply chains was highlighted as an area
of mutual interest. The two sides emphasized the need to strengthen diversified and resilient telecom
ecosystems, including collaboration among operators, original equipment manufacturers, startups, and
research institutions, and identified five broad pillars of cooperation covering 5G use cases, 6G
collaboration and advanced test beds, Open RAN, quantum technologies, and industry–academia
partnerships, with emphasis on developing a structured work plan and stakeholder mapping under each
pillar supported by periodic review mechanisms.
Emerging areas, including quantum communication, post-quantum cryptography, and secure network
architectures, were also discussed, reflecting a forward-looking approach to future-proofing critical digital
infrastructure. Structured engagement on cybersecurity, telecom fraud mitigation, and risk-based
regulatory frameworks, including continued institutional dialogue such as cybersecurity discussions in
Stockholm, was identified as another priority domain.The Indian side sought Sweden’s support for India’s candidature of Ms. M. Revathi for Director,
Radiocommunication Bureau at the ITU; for India’s re-election to the ITU Council for the term 2027–
2030; and for India’s proposal to host the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in 2030, noting India’s
successful hosting of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly and reaffirming its
commitment to constructive multilateral engagement.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to building trusted networks, resilient supply chains, and
inclusive digital ecosystems through sustained engagement under the Joint Working Group framework and
high-level dialogue mechanisms.
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