In a significant move to strengthen India’s leadership in next-generation communication technologies, the Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC), the technical arm of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur). The collaboration aims to advance India-specific telecom standards, accelerate indigenous research and enhance the country’s role in global telecom standardisation forums.
Strengthening India’s Voice in Global Telecom Standardisation
A core objective of the partnership is to enhance India’s participation and leadership in global standard-setting bodies such as the International Telecommunication Union’s radiocommunication and standardisation sectors (ITU-R and ITU-T), the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), and other international forums shaping the future of telecommunications.
By combining TEC’s regulatory and standardisation expertise with IIT Kanpur’s academic and research strengths, the collaboration seeks to ensure that India’s technical perspectives and use-case requirements are effectively reflected in global telecom standards.
Focus on 6G and Future Communication Technologies
The MoU places strong emphasis on research and pre-standardisation work for 6G technologies. Joint efforts will explore 6G architectures, enabling technologies and potential applications, with coordinated technical contributions to global platforms such as ITU and 3GPP.
The partnership also covers studies on existing and evolving networks, including 4G, 5G, LTE-Advanced and NB-IoT, focusing on network architecture, signalling, protocols and interoperability testing.
AI, NTNs and Secure Communications
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning will be a key pillar of the collaboration. Joint research will focus on AI-enabled telecom systems for network automation, intelligent management and optimisation, with a roadmap towards AI-native future networks.
Another critical area is satellite and Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs). The partnership will explore satellite-terrestrial integration, High Altitude Platform Systems (HAPS) and disaster-resilient communication solutions, addressing both commercial and national security needs.
Quantum Communication and Immersive Technologies
The collaboration also extends to cutting-edge domains such as quantum communication, including Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) and Quantum Random Number Generation (QRNG), aimed at securing future communication infrastructure.
Research on IoT ecosystems, digital twins and immersive communication platforms will further support the development of advanced applications across industry, governance and smart infrastructure.
Supporting Atmanirbhar Bharat Vision
The TEC–IIT Kanpur partnership aligns closely with the Government of India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat vision. By promoting indigenous research, design and testing frameworks, the collaboration aims to reduce import dependence and strengthen domestic manufacturing capabilities in telecom.
India-specific standards and conformity assessment frameworks developed through this initiative are expected to enhance network security, interoperability and resilience, while supporting MSMEs and startups in the telecom ecosystem.
Leadership and Institutional Collaboration
The MoU was signed by Shri Amit Kumar Srivastava, Deputy Director General (Mobile Technologies), TEC, and Prof. Tarun Gupta, Dean (R&D), IIT Kanpur, in the presence of Prof. Manindra Agrawal, Director of IIT Kanpur, senior faculty members and TEC officials.
The agreement formalises long-term collaboration between the two institutions, ensuring sustained engagement on research, testing and standardisation initiatives critical to India’s digital future.
