Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), the telecom research and development (R&D) centre of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), on Wednesday said they have signed an agreement with the Indian Institute of Technology-Roorkee (IIT-Roorkee) for the development of a “millimeter wave transceiver for 5G rural connectivity”.
The project focuses on the development of millimeter wave backhaul technology in which only a small number of small cell-based stations (SBSs) are connected to the gateway through fibre. Innovative mixed optical and millimetre wave approach proposed in the transceiver development will be a promising method to achieve the desired output of reduced overall size and decreased cost, C-DOT said.
It will also encourage small and medium scale industries to setup their manufacturing units in India which will create job opportunities to our own engineering graduates, due to the use of polymer-based structure in conjunction with metals, it said.
This will also reduce India’s over-dependence on semiconductor fabrication industries. The proposed cost for the development of technology is small compared to the opportunities it would create. Additionally, the project also aims to contribute to generate intellectual property rights (IPRs) and develop a skilled workforce to support the emerging millimetre wave/ Sub-THz technology for 5G/6G, it added.
The agreement is signed under the Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) scheme of the DoT, which is designed to fund Indian start-ups, academia, and R&D institutions as a crucial enabler for designing, developing and commercialising telecommunication products and solutions.