C-DOT collaborates with IIT Roorkee and IIT Mandi for development of ‘Cell-Free’ 6G Access Points

New Delhi: In a significant stride towards fostering indigenous technology development, the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), a leading Telecom R&D institution under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has entered into a strategic partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT Roorkee) and Indian Institute of Technology Mandi (IIT Mandi). This collaboration aims to develop 'Cell-Free' 6G Access Points, a cutting-edge technology set to revolutionise the telecom industry.

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The partnership falls under the ambit of the Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) scheme, which is an initiative by the DoT designed to support domestic companies, Indian startups, academic institutions, and R&D centers involved in the innovation and commercialization of telecommunication technologies. The TTDF scheme is pivotal in making broadband and mobile services more affordable, thereby contributing to bridging the digital divide across India.

The 'Cell-Free' Massive MIMO technology represents a paradigm shift from traditional cellular networks, which typically feature a single base station per cell to serve mobile customers. This new approach removes the concept of cell boundaries by deploying multiple access points (APs) across a wide area, providing seamless connectivity to users. Each user within this coverage area can connect to several APs simultaneously, ensuring robust signal strength, eliminating dead zones, and significantly enhancing data speeds, especially in densely populated regions.

This groundbreaking 6G initiative focuses on the development of APs for next-generation 6G radio access networks. It also aims to contribute to the standardization of 6G, drive commercialization efforts, generate intellectual property rights (IPRs), and cultivate a skilled workforce to support the evolving telecom landscape.

The agreement was formalized in a ceremony attended by Dr Rajkumar Upadhyay, CEO of C-DOT, along with Dr Abhay Kumar Sah, the principal investigator from IIT Roorkee, and Dr Adarsh Patel, co-investigator from IIT Mandi. Dr Pankaj Kumar Dalela, Director of C-DOT, was also present.

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