By Elena Vasquez

VIAVI Solutions will bring its next-generation telecommunications agenda to India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2026, with three themes anchoring its presence: 6G, AI-RAN and digital twins. The test and measurement specialist laid out that architecture vision in a discussion published ahead of the event, positioning itself at the intersection of standards work, artificial intelligence in the radio access network, and network simulation.

The venue matters. India Mobile Congress has grown into one of Asia's largest telecom gatherings, and New Delhi has used the event in recent years to showcase domestic 5G deployments and early 6G research ambitions. VIAVI's decision to frame its appearance around architecture rather than a single product line signals where the vendor expects operator conversations to move as 5G-Advanced matures and 6G study items accelerate inside standards bodies.

Why does AI-RAN lead the agenda?

AI-RAN — the integration of artificial intelligence directly into radio access network operations — sits closest to commercial reality of the three themes. Operators already apply machine learning to traffic forecasting, energy saving and anomaly detection, and vendor claims around AI-driven RAN efficiency have become standard fare at industry events since the AI-RAN Alliance formed in 2024.

VIAVI's angle, consistent with its test-and-measurement heritage, is that AI in the RAN changes what networks must verify. A model that steers traffic or tunes spectrum use introduces behaviors that traditional conformance testing was never designed to catch. As operators trial AI-RAN configurations, measurement vendors argue the industry needs new benchmarks to prove that intelligence in the network delivers measurable gains rather than marketing metrics.

Where do digital twins fit?

Digital twins — virtual replicas of physical networks that operators can stress-test before deploying changes — form the second pillar. The concept has moved from academic papers into operator planning tools, with carriers using simulated network copies to model coverage, capacity and failure scenarios.

For a company like VIAVI, digital twins extend the testing business from the lab into a continuous, software-driven environment. If a network has a living digital replica, validation no longer happens only before launch; it runs alongside the network's whole life. That shift turns testing from a gate into an ongoing service, which is the commercial logic behind the vendor's emphasis on the technology at IMC 2026.

What about 6G?

The third theme, 6G, remains the longest-horizon item. Standardization work is still in its study phase, with the 3GPP expected to begin the first 6G specification work in the coming years and initial commercial deployments widely discussed for around 2030.

VIAVI's contribution to that conversation centers on preparation rather than products. Test vendors typically engage a generation ahead of operators, because every new radio interface, frequency band and network architecture must arrive with instrumentation capable of measuring it. Vendor discussions of 6G at this stage should be read as research positioning and early standards engagement, not as commitments operators can buy against today.

That distinction — between what operators can deploy now and what vendors are architecting for — runs through the whole VIAVI agenda. AI-RAN trials exist in live networks. Digital twins exist in operator toolkits. 6G exists in study groups and white papers. The vendor is betting its portfolio spans all three stages at once.

What happens at IMC 2026?

For attendees in New Delhi, the significance lies in sequencing. India's carriers have completed wide 5G rollouts and now face the operational questions — energy, automation, monetization — that follow coverage builds. An architecture agenda built on AI-RAN and digital twins speaks directly to that phase, while the 6G discussion ties Indian research institutions into the global standards timeline.

VIAVI has not tied its IMC 2026 presence to product launch dates or contract announcements in the material published so far. The concrete outcomes to watch at the event itself are demonstrations on the show floor and any operator or standards partnerships the vendor announces during the congress.