Two Indian institutes have signed the 6G cooperation agreement with the Center for Development of Telematics (C-DOT).
Two Indian technology institutes are working with the Indian Ministry of Telecommunications to develop “cell-free” access points as a possible component of future 6G systems.
The Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT Roorkee) in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology Mandi (IIT Mandi) has signed an agreement to carry out joint work with the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), the telecommunications R&D centre of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
Local press reports noted that the agreement was signed under the Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) scheme of the Indian Ministry of Telecommunications. The scheme is designed to provide financial support to domestic companies, Indian startups, academia and research and development institutions engaged in technology design, development and commercialization of telecom products and solutions.
The project focuses on developing access points with the aim of enabling future 6G radio access networks. In addition, the project aims to contribute to 6G standardization, drive commercialization, generate intellectual property rights and build a skilled workforce to support the emerging 6G landscape.
Rajkumar Upadhyay, CEO of C-DOT, underlined the key role of indigenously designed and developed technologies in meeting India’s specific communications needs, adding that this initiative will help the country generate intellectual property rights in the 6G space and on new technologies in the 6G space that are not yet standardized.
Professor KK Pant, Director, IIT Roorkee, added, “This partnership with C-DOT is a critical step in our commitment to indigenous development of cutting-edge telecom technologies. IIT Roorkee is proud to lead this initiative, which is perfectly aligned with our mission to promote innovation and research excellence. This collaboration contributes significantly to India’s 6G vision and strengthens our position as a leader in technological advancement.”
India’s Bharat 6G Alliance recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association (6G-IA) and the 6G Flagship-Oulu University to boost research activities in the 6G field.
The Bharat 6G Alliance is an initiative of Indian industry, academia, national research institutions and standards bodies; its focus is on designing, developing and deploying technologies for future 6G systems by fostering 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 Memorandum of Understanding to explore opportunities for cooperation in several areas, including a ‘vision for 6G’, 6G requirements, architecture and use cases, identifying common interests, building consensus and collaboration to support the development of globally harmonized standards for Beyond 5G and 6G, and fostering collaboration between European and Indian R&D organizations and industries.
The companies noted that the work will include aligning research and development priorities that support a common 6G vision, as well as creating secure and trusted telecommunications and resilient supply chains.
Last year, the Bharat 6G Alliance and ATIS’s Next G Alliance (NGA) signed a memorandum of understanding to explore opportunities for collaboration on 6G wireless technologies.