S. Vishnu Sharma
IIT Madras 5G Testbed was center of attraction recently when Union Minister of Communication Jyotiraditya M Scindia visited it recently.
He also witnessed a demonstration of the indigenous 5G Network in the campus. The Researchers from the 5G Testbed Project at IIT Madras demonstrated very high speed communications (1 Gbps) using base stations and technology developed indigenously.
DoT
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) funded a large scale 5G testbed project located at IIT Madras and involving eight R&D institutes to encourage Indian start-ups and the industry to take an early lead in 5G.
The Testbed is available to industry, academia, research institutions, and government bodies besides Start-ups for various R&D, product development and capacity building activities, say sources from IIT Madras.
Indigenous systems
Researchers at IIT Madras and the 5G Testbed have developed indigenous 5G systems and are currently working on designing and developing 6G technologies.
In addition, they also participate in global standardization activities and develop Indian Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) in this critical sector.
Chief Guest
Jyotiraditya M Scindia spoke to the faculty, researchers and students after witnessing the demonstration at IIT Madras.
My students, the youth of our country are at the forefront of India’s technological and economic transformation, he said speaking at IIT Madras.
Initiatives like the indigenous 5G Testbed Project here at IIT Madras are not only a testament to India’s growing innovation capabilities but is also a vital step towards becoming the third-largest economy in the world.
By harnessing the potential of our young talent, we are driving towards an Aatmanirbhar Bharat—self-reliant and globally competitive, he said.
He further said indigenous technology manufacturing will be the key driver to India’s economic growth, creating employment opportunities, fostering innovation, and boosting our global stature in critical sectors like telecommunications.
Visit
Jyotiraditya M Scindia also visited the 5G Lab and the advanced Optical Communication Testbed at the IIT Madras campus.
He also interacted with the faculty, researchers and students of the 5G Testbed and the Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Madras.
Director of IIT Madras
Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, higher educational institutions have dedicated themselves to Viksit Bharat @ 2047 by exploring and developing New age technologies.
The 5G project is one such effort. The visit of Hon’ble Minister of Communications has certainly enthused our team to pursue more advanced research and development in the critical area of Next generation Communication Technologies, he said.
Platform
Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi, National Coordinator, 5G Testbed, and Faculty, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Madras, said the indigenous 5G Testbed project set up the platform for Indian Telecom R&D and start-ups to launch a globally competitive and timely effort to take a lead in 6G technology.
State-of-the-art System
The 5G infrastructure (hardware and software) developed at IITM is a state-of-the art system and provides a basis for starts-ups and smaller companies in India to build their 5G products.
Interaction
Jyotiraditya M Scindia also interacted with Researchers from Center of Excellence In Wireless Technology (CEWiT) IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation, and IIT Madras-incubated start-ups working in 5G-related sectors such as BigCat and NMS.
Significance
Prof. Radhakrishna Ganti, Department of Electrical Engineering, IITM highlighted the significance of the underway at this 5G Testbed.
The 5G Testbed at IITM is a unique case study of a Government-funded research project being executed by a group of academic institutions wherein the outcome of the research is transferred to organizations for appropriate enhancements, he said.
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This is a landmark in the journey of the Indian Telecommunications Industry. IITM is working further to demonstrate India’s leadership in 6G technology development and standardization efforts along with other academic institutions, Government and the industry, he said.
Development
Prof. Radhakrishna Ganti led the development of 5G radio systems at IIT Madras. His team is currently designing 6G technologies.
He had made several contributions to global standards bodies and spearheaded the development of Rural use cases in ITU (International Telecom Union) to provide modern telecom access and connectivity to remote and rural areas.
His work on stochastic geometry for the analysis of wireless and cellular networks is globally recognized, say sources from IITM.