The India–UK Cybersecurity Partnership |
In September 2022, India’s National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) and the UK government, in collaboration with BAE Systems, conducted a virtual cybersecurity exercise for 26 countries as part of the International Counter Ransomware Initiative-Resilience Working Group.[3] The exercise used a scenario in which ransomware impacted several electricity distribution firms, aiming to evaluate national readiness to respond to a major ransomware event affecting critical national infrastructure.
The 2024 Technology Security Initiative (TSI), coordinated by the National Security Advisers of India and the UK, broadened cooperation across telecommunications, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, critical minerals, health and biotechnology, advanced materials and semiconductors.[4] The UK government has described the programme as a new approach for collaboration on the pivotal technologies of the decade, fostering alliances among governments, academia and industry.[5] Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a meeting with Foreign Secretary David Lammy in June 2025, expressed support for the continued cooperation between India and the UK under the Technology Security Initiative.[6]
The TSI’s Future Telecoms Partnership has identified telecom security and Open RAN as key areas for bilateral cooperation. It also supports a partnership between India’s Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), DoT’s Telecoms Startup Mission and the UK’s SONIC Labs to strengthen telecom network security, resilience and performance, including via collaboration on Open RAN, testing and the development of products and solutions.[7] In February 2025, the Department of Telecommunications held discussions with the UK’s Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) on 5G, 6G and digital infrastructure security, while C-DOT and SONIC Labs signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Open RAN-related policy and technical matters.[8] The emphasis on Open RAN and testing is important as the TSI’s Future Telecoms Partnership connects these areas to the development of disaggregated network technologies and products.
The India–UK Vision 2035, endorsed by the Prime Ministers of India and the UK on 24 July 2025 during their meeting in London, linked cyber resilience to protecting citizens and key services, as well as to the secure development of emerging technologies.[9] In October 2025, India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the UK’s DSIT unveiled the Connectivity and Innovation Centre, a joint initiative with an initial commitment of £24 million over four years. The Centre aims to connect academic........