UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Union Minister of Communications Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia Inaugurates 3rd International Bharat 6G Symposium 2026

Q1. India aims to hold a significant share of the patents essential to 6G. With reference to standard essential patents (SEPs) and FRAND licensing, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. A patent is standard essential when a product cannot comply with the standard without using the patented invention.
  2. By giving a FRAND commitment, the holder of a standard essential patent agrees to license it free of any royalty.
  3. When a patent holder and an implementer cannot agree on FRAND terms, the standards body that adopted the standard fixes the royalty rate.
  4. Disagreements over what counts as FRAND terms can end up in litigation or in alternative dispute resolution.
  • A. 1, 2 and 4 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1 and 4 only

Q2. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. Standard-setting organisations generally require holders of standard essential patents to commit to licensing them on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms.
  2. Because an essential patent cannot be designed around by anyone implementing the standard, its holder could otherwise block or overcharge every implementer.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q3. India hosted the ITU World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly in 2024 and has since convened global 6G alliances under the New Delhi Declaration. With reference to how global telecom rules are made, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. Revisions of the international Radio Regulations that allocate frequency bands are made at World Radiocommunication Conferences, not at the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly.
  2. 3GPP is one of the three sectors of the International Telecommunication Union, in which member governments vote on mobile network specifications.
  3. The New Delhi Declaration on 6G principles creates obligations binding on the governments of the countries whose alliances endorsed it.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q4. Indian 6G research is funded through the Telecom Technology Development Fund, which draws on a universal service fund. With reference to the Telecommunications Act, 2023, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. It amended the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 and retained that Act as the parent law for telecom licensing.
  2. The fund meant for telecom services in underserved areas may now also be used for research and development.
  3. Digital Bharat Nidhi is a new fund created by the Act, while the Universal Service Obligation Fund continues to exist separately.
  • A. 2 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1 and 2 only

Q5. 6G networks are expected to use much higher frequency bands than earlier generations. Which of the following are likely consequences of moving mobile networks to much higher frequency bands?

  1. The area served by each cell shrinks, so more sites are needed to cover the same territory.
  2. The low share of fibre-connected towers becomes a bigger constraint, because every added site needs high-capacity backhaul.
  3. Signals pass through walls and foliage more easily, which reduces the need for indoor or street-level small cells.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 1 only

Q6. The 2025 Joint Statement of global 6G alliances described 6G as a 'global public good'. In the light of the economic concept of a public good, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A good becomes a public good whenever it is supplied by a government rather than by private firms.
  2. Radio spectrum in a given area is a pure public good, since one operator's use of a frequency leaves it equally usable by others.
  3. A private network that a factory sets up for its own captive use is excludable, and so it falls outside the definition of a pure public good.
  • A. 2 and 3 only
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q7. India has set a target of holding 10% of global 6G patents. Consider a country whose firms hold very few of the patents essential to a mobile standard, while its manufacturers sell a large volume of devices that comply with that standard. Which of the following inferences can be drawn?

  1. Its manufacturers are likely to be net payers of royalties on that standard.
  2. Its government can exempt domestic manufacturers from paying royalties by declaring the standard a global public good.
  3. A larger share of essential patents held by its firms would strengthen their bargaining position in licensing negotiations.
  4. Its manufacturers can avoid royalties altogether by complying with only the mandatory parts of the standard.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 2 and 4 only