What happened at IMC 2026

By Meddy Digital

 Reliance Jio has shown what it calls India's first 6G radio at India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2026 in New Delhi, and says India could be among the first countries to roll out 6G. The big catch: Jio has not announced any launch date, and global 6G standards are only expected to be finalised around 2030. Here is what was shown, what it really means, and what you should do as a mobile user today.

What happened at IMC 2026

IMC 2026, the 10th edition of Asia's largest telecom event, ran from October 7 to 10 at Yashobhoomi in New Delhi. 6G and AI-powered networks were the main themes this year, and the event also hosted the third International 6G Symposium.

Jio's stall was the headline grabber. The company displayed:

  • A 6G NR "Giga MIMO" radio unit, which Jio describes as India's first 6G radio. No technical specifications such as frequency bands or antenna count were shared publicly.
  • A common baseband unit that can handle both 5G and 6G. In simple words, this is the "brain" box at a tower site, and one box for both generations could make the upgrade cheaper and faster.
  • AI-native and quantum-safe network work, meaning AI built into how the network runs itself, plus security designed to resist future quantum computers.
  • Jio Call Agent, an AI voice assistant that works in Indian languages with the user's consent.

Jio also said it has filed more than 8,000 patents, including hundreds related to 6G, and made over 934 contributions to global telecom standards.

What 6G promises (on paper)

According to Jio, 6G could offer up to five times the capacity of today's 5G networks and nearly ten times lower latency. Some reports also mention peak speeds of around 100 Gbps as a target. Remember, these are company claims and research targets, not speeds anyone has measured on a live Indian network.

The use cases being talked about include real-time AI, holographic video calls, remote healthcare and smart education. Jio highlighted ideas for farmers, doctors and students. Some of these are exciting, but many are still concepts.

Not just Jio: what Airtel, Vi and vendors showed

Other players also used IMC to talk about the future. Airtel launched IQ Gateway with "Silent Authentication", which aims to replace OTP-based verification in supported apps. Vodafone Idea (Vi) showed private 5G, edge computing and AI customer service, including a mining use case.

On the equipment side, Ericsson demonstrated AI-driven RAN and a 6G demo with warehouse robots, while Nokia spoke about moving its mobile core from cloud-native to AI-native. Ericsson India MD Nitin Bansal called networks "a platform for what India builds next."

The government has set a goal for India to contribute 10% of global 6G patents, and the Bharat 6G Alliance is working on technology, spectrum and use cases.

When will 6G come to India?

This is the question everyone is searching, and the honest answer is: not soon. Jio did not reveal a rollout date. Global standards are expected around 2030. Reports suggest operators may start testing around 2028, with commercial services possibly around 2029 to 2030, if plans hold. India also still needs to decide 6G spectrum, which has not been announced yet.

Meddy's take

Having worked on 5G rollouts, I see the common 5G/6G baseband as the most practical item at Jio's stall. When India went from 4G to 5G, a lot of the speed of rollout came from reusing existing sites and upgrading equipment instead of building from zero. A box ready for both generations points to the same strategy for 6G.

For users, my advice is simple:

  • Don't delay a phone purchase for 6G. No 6G phones exist for Indian networks today, and any phone you buy in 2026 will be old by the time 6G is commercial.
  • Make sure your next phone supports 5G SA and NSA with Indian bands like n78 and n28. Jio runs 5G Standalone, and that matters more for you right now.
  • Watch your plan, not the hype. New network generations are expensive to build, and tariff changes usually follow. Keep an eye on prepaid plan prices over the coming years.

FAQ

Has Jio launched 6G in India? No. Jio only showcased 6G equipment and research at IMC 2026. There is no commercial 6G service and no launch date yet.

When will 6G launch in India? Global 6G standards are expected around 2030. Testing may begin around 2028, with commercial services possibly around 2029 to 2030, but nothing is confirmed.

Will my 5G phone work on 6G? No, you will need a 6G-capable phone to use 6G. Your 5G phone will keep working on 5G and 4G networks, which will run alongside 6G for many years.

Sources