0.1 Why in News
0.1.1 India and Germany signed a Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) on Telecommunications Cooperation.
0.1.2 JDI signed during the official visit of Friedrich Merz to India from 12–13 January 2026.

0.2 Signatories
0.2.1 Signed by Shri Amit Agrawal, Secretary (Telecom), Government of India.
0.2.2 Signed by Dr. Philipp Ackermann, German Ambassador to India, on behalf of Germany.

0.3 Institutional Framework
0.3.1 Agreement concluded between Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Government of India and Federal Ministry for Digital Transformation and Government Modernisation (BMDS), Germany.

0.4 Political Context
0.4.1 JDI was a key outcome of engagements between the Prime Minister of India and the Federal Chancellor of Germany.
0.4.2 Builds upon strong momentum in India–Germany bilateral relations and sustained high-level engagements.

0.5 Objective of the JDI
0.5.1 To deepen bilateral cooperation in Telecommunications and Information & Communication Technologies (ICTs).
0.5.2 To promote inclusive and sustainable digital transformation.