TRAI reveals recommendations to enhance live testing of cutting-edge technology such as 6G and AI

New Delhi, April 12 – The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released recommendations to promote live testing of innovative technologies like 5G/6G, AI, and virtual reality in the country. The move comes in response to a request from the Department of Telecommunications for a regulatory sandbox framework.

A regulatory sandbox allows regulated access to telecom networks and customer resources for testing new services, technologies, and business models in real-time. Several countries have already implemented similar sandbox frameworks to encourage innovation in the digital communication sector.

According to the Communications Ministry, providing a regulatory sandbox for live testing in India will stimulate more entrepreneurs to develop solutions for the digital communication industry. Indian companies, partnership firms, LLPs, or research institutes meeting the framework’s conditions can apply for regulatory sandbox testing.

The framework ensures network security and customer protection during live testing on a specific set of users. Government agencies involved in the process have strict timelines for evaluating applications to ensure accountability. The Regulatory Sandbox is expected to provide the startup ecosystem in the digital communication industry access to real network environments for testing new applications before market launch.