New Delhi: In the ongoing effort to develop indigenous hardware for next-generation telecommunications technology 6G, the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), the premier Telecom R&D centre of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Government of India, has signed an agreement with the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) for the development of "Building Blocks for THz Communication Front Ends" for 6G.

The agreement is part of the Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) 6G Call for proposals by the Department of Telecommunications, Government of India. This initiative aims to accelerate research on developing the 6G ecosystem as part of the Bharat 6G vision, which seeks to design, develop, and deploy 6G network technologies that provide ubiquitous, intelligent, and secure connectivity for a high-quality living experience.

The project focuses on developing fundamental devices and components essential for THz systems envisioned for 6G communications and other THz systems, such as military communications and material characterisation. With the recent programme on establishing chip fabrication facilities in India, this project will be initiated at IIT Delhi, in collaboration with SAMEER (Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research) Kolkata. The work will lead to the fabrication of THz components at the production level, with C-DOT acting as the implementing agency.

The agreement was signed during a ceremony attended by Dr Rajkumar Upadhyay, CEO of C-DOT, Prof Ananjan Basu, the principal investigator from IIT Delhi, and the Directors of C-DOT, Dr Pankaj Kumar Dalela and Ms Shikha Srivastava.

Dr Rajkumar Upadhyay described this as a significant step towards the Prime Minister's Bharat 6G Vision, fostering innovation and paving the way for groundbreaking advancements in communication technology. He reiterated that this collaboration would result in transformative outcomes.

Prof Basu emphasised his team's commitment to developing next-generation 6G communication technology and thanked C-DOT for the opportunity to collaborate on this research. He highlighted that the project strengthens the objective of promoting cutting-edge research capabilities and infrastructure in the telecom sector under “Atmanirbhar Bharat”.

The C-DOT team expressed its commitment and support for developing microelectronic THz components for 6G communications entirely within India for the first time.

BI Bureau