IIT Roorkee, IIT Mandi, and C-DOT Collaborate to Drive 6G Innovation and Standardization

The collaboration seeks to advance commercialization, create intellectual property rights (IPRs), and support the 6G standardization effort. In a significant stride towards advancing telecommunications technology, the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee (IIT Roorkee), and the Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi (IIT Mandi) have partnered with the Center for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Government of India. This collaboration aims to develop “Cell-Free 6G Access Points” as part of the Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) scheme.

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The initiative seeks to provide financial support to domestic businesses, startups, educational institutions, and R&D groups in developing, advancing, and marketing telecommunications-related products and services. By focusing on the creation of intellectual property rights (IPRs), commercialization, and 6G standardization, this partnership promises to enhance connectivity and bridge India’s digital divide.

Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi (IIT Mandi) & IIT Roorkee Collaboration

To create “Cell-Free 6G Access Points,” the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee (IIT Roorkee) and the Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi (IIT Mandi) have teamed up with the Center for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), the top telecom R&D centre run by the Indian government’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT).

The Department of Telecommunications, Government of India, inked the deal under the Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) scheme, according to the official press release. The goal of this program is to give financial support to domestic businesses, startups in India, educational institutions, and research and development groups engaged in creating, advancing, and marketing telecommunications-related goods and services. According to the official announcement, the TTDF scheme’s goal is to make mobile and internet services more cheap, which would help close India’s digital divide.

Conventional cellular networks versus large MIMO without cells

According to the official announcement, cellular topologies are used by conventional mobile networks, including 4G and 5G, to service individual cells, with each cell being served by a single base station. ‘Cell-Free’ Massive MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output) on the other hand, does away with the idea of cells and cell borders by dispersing many access points (APs) over a vast region to concurrently service many user devices.

Benefits and user experience

Multiple access points (APs) assist every user in the service area, assuring constant connectivity, removing dead zones, improving signal strength, and dramatically boosting data rates. This methodology offers a remarkable user experience, especially in highly populated regions.

Areas of focus

According to the official press release, the goal of this 6G project is to build access points (APs) that will enable the next generation of 6G radio access networks. It also intends to create intellectual property rights (IPRs), advance commercialization, aid in the standardization of 6G, and train a workforce capable of supporting the developing 6G environment.

The CEO of C-DOT, Rajkumar Upadhyay, reaffirmed the commitment to “Atmanirbhar Bharat” and emphasized the critical role that domestically created and built technology plays in serving the unique communication needs of our diverse nation. He added that this will assist us in creating intellectual property rights in the field of developing technologies related to 6G.

“This partnership with C-DOT marks a pivotal step in our commitment to indigenous development of state-of-the-art telecommunications technologies,” stated KK Pant, director of IIT Roorkee. We are honoured to be leading this program, which is a wonderful fit with our goal of promoting excellence and innovation in research at IIT Roorkee. This partnership bolsters India’s 6G vision and solidifies our status as a global leader in technical innovation.

Conclusion

The collaboration between IIT Roorkee, IIT Mandi, and C-DOT represents a pivotal moment in India’s journey towards becoming a global leader in telecommunications innovation. By developing Cell-Free 6G Access Points and advancing the 6G standardization effort, this partnership aims to provide seamless connectivity and enhance user experience, particularly in densely populated areas.

The initiative not only supports the “Atmanirbhar Bharat” mission but also paves the way for creating significant intellectual property in the field of emerging 6G technologies. As the project progresses, it will undoubtedly contribute to the nation’s technological prowess and drive the commercialization of cutting-edge telecom solutions.