New Delhi, Oct 10 : In a landmark strategic partnership to advance digital inclusion and shape the future of secure and innovative communications, India and the UK on Friday launched the 'India-UK Connectivity and Innovation Centre'.

The centre aims to bring together complementary strengths in the UK and Indian innovation in advanced connectivity ' linking cutting-edge research at universities, with lab testing and field trials, through to market deployment.

The move will create new commercial opportunities by enabling industry partners to innovate, test and scale products with a pathway to market adoption, the government said in a statement.

According to the government, the next four years will be a critical period when the technological and commercial parameters for 6G will take shape.

During the period, the Centre will drive advancements in three key areas: Transforming telecom with AI ' using advanced AI tools to optimise networks, improve efficiency, and unlock new services, non-terrestrial networks (NTNs); developing satellite and airborne systems to deliver reliable, high-speed connectivity to rural and remote areas. and Telecoms Cybersecurity; and strengthening network security and developing open and interoperable solutions.

"Connectivity and telecommunication technologies critically underpin our economies and societies. Developing them together on a single platform is expected to bring economic and security benefits to both countries," according to the official statement.

India and the UK have committed a combined initial 24 million pounds over four years to advance this initiative.

This funding will support applied research among established UK and Indian research centres, industry-academic partnerships, joint testbeds, and targeted collaboration in global technical standards development.

This initiative, delivered as part of the UK-India technology security initiative jointly by UKRI and DoT, stands as a flagship example of the UK-India Research and Innovation Corridor in action and reflects the shared ambition set out in the India-UK Prime Ministers' 2035 Vision, according to the statement.

/IANS