India and Germany Reaffirm Cooperation in Telecommunications and Digital Transformation
A bilateral meeting was held on 18 February 2026 at Sanchar Bhawan, New Delhi, between Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Union Minister of Communications and Development of the North Eastern Region, India, and Karsten Wildberger, Federal Minister for Digital Transformation and Government Modernization, Federal Republic of Germany, to advance cooperation in telecommunications and digital transformation under the broader Indo-German Strategic Partnership. The discussions reflected mutual respect and appreciation for each other’s technological achievements, with both ministers agreeing that the present times offer significant opportunity for deeper collaboration in telecom and emerging technologies.
The meeting assumes significance since it followed the signing of the Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) on 10 January 2026 during the India–Germany Summit, which establishes a forward-looking and non-binding framework for structured collaboration in telecommunications and digital governance under the broader Indo-German Strategic Partnership.
Both sides welcomed the JDI as an important milestone reflecting shared values of openness, trust, innovation, and resilience in digital ecosystems. The JDI provides a flexible platform for the exchange of best practices, policy dialogue, scientific and technical cooperation, and the formulation of joint work plans to translate shared intent into actionable initiatives.
Both sides recognized that 6G, Open RAN, 5G Use Case, Quantum Communication, AI in telecom, and Cyber Security are important areas of cooperation to collaborate through industry and academia by exchanging best practices, building capacity, and industry linkages.
The Indian side sought Germany’s support for India’s candidature of Ms. M. Revathi for Director, Radiocommunication Bureau at the ITU, for India’s re-election to the ITU Council for the term 2027–2030, and for India’s proposal to host the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in 2030.
India and Germany reaffirmed their shared commitment to building trusted networks, resilient supply chains, and future-ready digital infrastructure through sustained engagement under the Joint Declaration of Intent framework.(updated on 18th feb 2026)
