• India and Japan signed MoU to enhance cooperation in the field of Information and Communications Technologies.

    • Department of Telecom, Government of India and Ministry of Communications, Government of Japan will enhance mutual cooperation in the field of 5G technologies, telecom security, submarine optical fiber cable system to islands of India, spectrum management, smart cities, high altitude platform for broadband in unconnected areas, disaster management and public safety etc. 

    • It has been agreed that apart from Ministry level cooperation, Government of India organization such as C-DOT and ITI Limited along with industry partners from Japan will also part of this cooperation.

    • Its being highlighted that the timely execution of connecting Andaman & Nicobar Islands with submarine optical fiber cable as a great example of cooperation between India and Japan.

    • The rapid adoption of innovative digital technologies by India during COVID19 pandemic such as Aarogya Setu app, use of Aadhaar Enabled Payment System for doorstep disbursement of cash by India Post, digital hearings in Courts of India and rapid growth of digital payments, has helped the country immensely.

    • The new agreement will bring the cooperation between Japan and India in the field of ICT to another level, which has already been close under the Japan-India ICT Comprehensive Cooperation Framework of 2014.

    • Japanese official says that the new MoU is the first to be signed by the Ministers of Japan and India, and sets a framework where Japan and India, as trusted partners, will work in the ICT field.

    • He further stated that in Japan, various efforts are made to utilise 5G in agriculture, transportation and disaster risk reduction. Japan is willing to share experience and expertise and work together towards the successful introduction of 5G in India.

    • Security and trust are crucial for the ICT infrastructure such as submarine cable networks and 5G. Japan and India will also collaborate for beyond 5G (B5G).

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants. The views expressed here are personal.)