India–UK Strengthen AI and Telecom Partnership at New Delhi Summit

New Delhi, February 18, 2026: On the sidelines of the AI Summit in New Delhi, Shri Dr. Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, Hon’ble Minister of State for Communications, India, held a bilateral meeting with Mr. Kanishka Narayan, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for AI and Online Safety, United Kingdom, at Dak Bhawan.

The discussions focused on deepening cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI) and future telecommunications, including Open RAN, 6G, AI-driven network management, and AI-based cybersecurity. Both sides reaffirmed the growing partnership under the India–UK 2030 Roadmap and the UK–India Technology Security Initiative (TSI).

Key Highlights

AI & Future Telecom: India emphasized AI as central to telecom development, combining its scale with UK research strengths to set global standards in AI-native networks.
Connectivity & Innovation: Operationalization of the India–UK Connectivity and Innovation Centre was welcomed, supporting pilot deployments and joint research.
Quantum Communications: India highlighted collaboration potential under the National Quantum Mission for secure networks.
Telecom Security & Fraud Prevention: Both countries exchanged strategies on preventing digital fraud and telecom scams using AI tools, including India’s Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI) and Sanchar Saathi platform.
Multilateral Engagement: India sought UK support for its ITU initiatives, including the candidature of Ms. M. Revathi for Director, Radiocommunication Bureau, re-election to the ITU Council (2027–2030), and hosting the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-2030).
Digital Growth: India highlighted achievements in 5G rollout, rural connectivity expansion, citizen-centric telecom governance, and development of digital public infrastructure.

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