Telecom gear maker HFCL says filed 33 patent applications related to 5G, 6G tech in 4 years

New Delhi, Nov 11 (PTI) Domestic telecom gear maker HFCL said it has filed 33 applications in the past four years, seeking patents for innovations that are relevant to 5G or 6G network technologies.

According to HFCL Executive President Jayanta Dey, the patents have been filed for communications network elements that are expected to play crucial role in enabling the country not only host but also own 6G technology.

The patents filed between 2021 and 2025 are under evaluation by Indian and global patent offices, he told PTI.

"To date, HFCL has filed 33 patents covering energy-efficient systems, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) based telecom applications, and other advanced networking technologies - all directly relevant to 5G, 6G, or both. These innovations stem from a unified R&D effort, where the same core HFCL talent and research foundation drive progress across next-generation standards," Dey said.

He said that for decades, India watched others set the rules of global telecom but with 6G, that story is changing and India is helping define how future networks will connect the world for the first time.

Elaborating further, Dey said that 5G and 6G fundamentally build upon similar research pillars -- from network intelligence and sustainability to automation and spectral efficiency.

"Our teams are therefore working along a shared trajectory of innovation, ensuring that the breakthroughs we achieve today in 5G naturally extend into 6G use cases and readiness. To date, HFCL has filed 17 patents in energy-efficiency domains and roughly 10 patents in AI/ML telecom applications," he added.

The Bharat 6G Vision, launched in 2023, lays out this ambition in concrete terms: India aims to secure 10 per cent of global 6G intellectual property, bolster indigenous R&D and manufacturing, and lead in global standard-setting.

At the India Mobile Congress held recently, Union telecom minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had said the value-add of 6G could contribute USD 1.2 trillion to India's GDP by 2035.

Technological sovereignty is a necessity in a world where supply chains, IP controls, and trust frameworks matter, Dey said, adding that India's control over telecom core systems and hardware is non-negotiable.

"HFCL's R&D and IP contributions help lock in that control — reducing dependency on external vendors, mitigating supply risks, and ensuring that network security, updates, and evolution remain under Indian stewardship. By marrying innovation with sovereignty, HFCL is helping Bharat not just host 6G, but own it," he said. PTI PRS HVA