Two Indian institutes signed the 6G collaboration agreement with the Center for Development of Telematics (C-DOT)
Two Indian technology institutes are partnering with the country’s Department of Telecommunications to work on developing “cell-free” access points as a potential part of future 6G systems.
The Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT Roorkee), in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology Mandi (IIT Mandi) signed an agreement with the Center for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), which is the telecom R&D center of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), to do the joint work.
Local press reports noted that the agreement was signed under the Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) scheme of the Department of Telecommunications, which has been designed to provide funding support to domestic companies, Indian startups, academia and R&D institutions involved in technology design, development and commercialization of telecommunication products and solutions.
The project will focus on developing access points with the aim of enabling future 6G radio access networks and also seeks to contribute to 6G standardization activity, drive commercialization, generate intellectual property rights and develop a skilled workforce to support the emerging 6G landscape.
Rajkumar Upadhyay, CEO of the C-DOT, underscored the key role of indigenously designed and developed technologies in meeting the specific requirements of communication for India, adding that this initiative will help the country to generate IPRs in 6G domain and emerging technologies in the area of 6G, which has not yet been standardized.
Professor KK Pant, Director of IIT Roorkee, added: “This partnership with C-DOT marks a pivotal step in our commitment to indigenous development of state-of-the-art telecommunications technologies. IIT Roorkee is proud to lead this initiative, which aligns perfectly with our mission to foster innovation and excellence in research. This collaboration significantly contributes to India’s 6G vision and reinforces our position as a leader in technological advancements.”
India’s Bharat 6G Alliance has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association (6G-IA) and 6G Flagship-Oulu University to boost research activities in the 6G field.
The Bharat 6G Alliance is an initiative of the Indian industry, academia, national research institutions and standards organizations; its focus is on designing, developing and deploying technology for future 6G systems, through promotion of an ecosystem for research, design, development, field testing, security, certification and manufacturing of telecom solutions.
The Bharat 6G Alliance and the 6G-IA recently signed a MoU to explore collaboration opportunities on several areas including a “vision for 6G”, requirements for 6G, architecture and use cases, identification of common interests, building of consensus and collaboration to support development of globally harmonized standards for Beyond 5G and 6G and promoting cooperation among European and Indian R&D organizations and industries.
The entities noted that the work will encompass aligning research and development priorities that support a common 6G vision and creating secure and trusted telecommunications as well as resilient supply chains.
Last year, Bharat 6G Alliance and ATIS’ Next G Alliance (NGA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore collaboration opportunities on 6G wireless technologies.
