India Chairs BRICS ICT Working Group Meeting Under 2026 Presidency
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) successfully organised and chaired the Second Meeting of the BRICS Working Group for Cooperation in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in virtual mode on 21 May 2026.
The meeting was held under India's BRICS Presidency 2026, whose overarching theme is "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability."
The ICT track operates under the sub-theme "Innovate, Cooperate and Transform (ICT) for a Resilient Future."
India presented a Concept Note on establishing BRICS Capacity Building Centres for skilling, knowledge exchange, technical training, and research cooperation in emerging digital and telecom technologies among member nations.
Key agenda items included the BRICS Institute for Future Networks (BIFN), the Digital BRICS Task Force (DBTF), and the Focus Group on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI); the group also reviewed ongoing ICT cooperation and planned the roadmap for upcoming engagements.
BRICS: Structure, Membership, and India's 2026 Presidency
BRICS originated in 2001 as an economic concept (BRIC — Brazil, Russia, India, China) coined by economist Jim O'Neill of Goldman Sachs to describe fast-growing emerging economies. South Africa joined in 2010 to form BRICS. The grouping held its first formal summit in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009. In 2024 (Johannesburg Summit, 2023 expansion), Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates joined as full members. Indonesia became the 11th full member in 2025. Ten Partner Countries — including Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam — joined in 2025.
India, as 2026 BRICS Chair, is using the presidency to drive the digital cooperation agenda — particularly Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and future networks — as a model for Global South countries.
Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI): India Stack as Global Model
Digital Public Infrastructure refers to shared, open, and interoperable digital systems that enable equitable access to public and private services at population scale. India's DPI journey — anchored in JAM Trinity (Jan Dhan–Aadhaar–Mobile) — has produced Aadhaar (1.4 billion biometric IDs), UPI (Unified Payments Interface), DigiLocker, and CoWIN as globally recognised examples. The Government of India has championed DPI as a development model under its G20 Presidency (2023) and now BRICS Presidency (2026).
India's Concept Note on BRICS Capacity Building Centres builds on DPI experience to institutionalise knowledge transfer — an extension of the "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" framework of India's multilateral digital diplomacy.
BRICS Institute for Future Networks (BIFN) and 6G Cooperation
The BRICS Institute for Future Networks (BIFN), established under the BRICS ICT track, is a cooperation mechanism for research and standardisation in next-generation networks — particularly 5G and 6G. The ICT Working Group meeting reviewed progress under BIFN, reflecting India's push to be a standard-setter in 6G rather than merely an adopter.
India launched its 6G Vision document in March 2023 and has set a target to commercially deploy 6G by 2030. DoT and the Telecommunications Standards Development Society, India (TSDSI) are involved in international standardisation bodies (ITU-R, 3GPP). Cooperation within BRICS on future networks reduces dependence on proprietary technology stacks from a small number of global vendors.
Key Details
- India's 6G Vision document released: March 2023.
- Target for 6G commercial deployment: 2030.
- TSDSI: India's member body at International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
- ITU: UN specialised agency for ICTs, headquartered in Geneva; founded 1865 (as International Telegraph Union) — oldest UN specialised agency.
- 5G launch in India: October 2022 (commercial rollout began).
- BRICS ICT Working Group: meets under BRICS presidency; second meeting held on 21 May 2026.
The BIFN agenda at the ICT Working Group meeting reflects a shared interest among BRICS nations in building a multipolar technology order where emerging economies shape global standards rather than adapt to them.
India's BRICS Presidency: Digital and Economic Priorities
Beyond ICT, India's 2026 BRICS Presidency priorities include: reform of multilateral institutions (UN, WTO, IMF), sustainable development, BRICS payment systems interoperability (BRICS Pay), and CBDC linkages (RBI's proposal to link the e-Rupee with digital currencies of China, Brazil, and UAE). The September 2026 New Delhi Summit is expected to finalise several of these frameworks.
Key Details
- BRICS Pay: cross-border payment system under development; full operational deployment targeted for September 2026 summit.
- RBI CBDC (e-Rupee): launched December 2022; proposed for BRICS-level interoperability.
- India's previous BRICS Presidency: 2021 (New Delhi Declaration adopted; 13th BRICS Summit held virtually due to COVID-19).
- BRICS New Development Bank (NDB): headquartered in Shanghai; India's former Finance Minister served as NDB President (2022–2023).
The ICT Working Group is one arm of a wider BRICS presidency agenda; its outputs — particularly on DPI and BIFN — feed into the framework documents that the New Delhi Summit will adopt.
- Meeting: Second BRICS ICT Working Group Meeting, 21 May 2026, virtual mode.
- Organised by: Department of Telecommunications (DoT), India.
- India's BRICS Presidency theme: "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability."
- ICT sub-theme: "Innovate, Cooperate and Transform (ICT) for a Resilient Future."
- BRICS full members (2026): 11 countries.
- BRICS Partner Countries (2025): 10 countries.
- 17th BRICS Summit: 12–13 September 2026, New Delhi.
- BRICS BIFN: focuses on 5G/6G research and standardisation cooperation.
- BRICS Digital BRICS Task Force (DBTF): digital economy cooperation mechanism.
- India's DPI model — Aadhaar: ~1.4 billion enrollments; UPI: world's largest real-time payments platform by volume.
- India 6G Vision document: March 2023; commercial target: 2030.
- ITU founded: 1865 (oldest UN specialised agency).