India secures key leadership roles at APT meet in Brunei

India’s growing stature in the global telecom landscape was underscored yesterday with the announcement of key leadership appointments at the 36th Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity Wireless Group (AWG-36), marking a proud moment for the country. The meeting was held from April 6–10, 2026 in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam.

Bharat B Bhatia, President of the ITU-APT Foundation of India (IAFI) was elected as the Special Adviser to the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity Wireless Group (AWG), a position at par with Vice Chair. In addition, Dr. Punit Rathod, a member of IAFI and Lead – Technical Standards at Qualcomm, has been elected as Chair of the Sub-Working Group on IMT Technologies (SWG IMT-Tech). These appointments reflect the growing recognition of India’s technical expertise and its constructive, solutions-oriented approach to global standardisation efforts.

Organised under the aegis of the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT), AWG-36 brought together over 400 participants from across the Asia-Pacific region, including regulators, policymakers and industry leaders, to deliberate on key aspects of wireless communications such as 5G evolution, emerging 6G frameworks, spectrum harmonisation and the growing integration of artificial intelligence in networks.

The Indian delegation led by senior officers of the WPC wing of DOT and Industry, played a proactive and influential role throughout the negotiations with Japan and China and finally reached an agreement that gave the key role of Special Advisor to Bharat Bhatia. In addition, Indian delegates Jitendra Singh, Dr. Sendil Kumar and Dr. Punit Rathod were deeply engaged across multiple working groups, contributing to deliberations on IMT evolution towards 6G, reinforcing India’s commitment to collaborative and forward-looking spectrum and standards development.

Commenting on the development, Bharat B Bhatia said. “The announcement made at AWG-36 is indeed a proud moment for India. These leadership roles reflect the trust placed in our expertise and our commitment to constructive global engagement. As the region advances towards 6G and increasingly intelligent networks, it is essential that we work collectively to build inclusive, future-ready and harmonised wireless ecosystems. IAFI will continue to play an active role in supporting this shared vision.”

The outcome of AWG-36 further strengthens India’s position as a key player in regional and global telecom policy and standardisation processes on 6G. The next AWG meeting, AWG-37, will be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh in September this year.

CT Bureau