IIT Hyderabad, WiSig Networks drive research for 6G development

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad and WiSig Networks, a, IIT-H-incubated startup, are working on advancing 6G technology in India, after India’s “π/2-BPSK uplink waveform” extension was approved at the 3GPP TSG RAN #108, which is the “3rd Generation Partnership Project Technical Specification Group for Radio Access Network” 108th meeting, held in Prague, Czech Republic.

“The move will strengthen 5G coverage and unlock uplink intensive services - such as high-definition video, immersive XR, and on-device AI,” the IIT Hyderabad statement said.

This has also led to 6G research at IIT Hyderabad.

IIT Hyderabad created the waveform, which progressed into a national programme with industry and academia partners, and became a mainstream 5G feature adopted by operators and vendors globally, as per official statement. It successfully met the 3GPP Release 17 standards.

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IIT Hyderabad government-backed research

The IIT-H initiative had been backed by the department of telecommunications (DOT), the Ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY), the department of science and technology (DST), and the Standards Development Organisation, Telecommunications Standards Development Society, India (TSDSI).

Research at IIT Hyderabad continues with WiSig Networks on the OTFDM waveform and Structural MIMO within a newly-approved 6G Study Item.

Kiran Kuchi, department of electrical engineering, IIT Hyderabad, and founder of WiSig Networks said: “India’s coverage-enhancement technology - created with fellow Indian institutes and global collaborators including Qualcomm, Apple, Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung, MediaTek, DOCOMO, AT&T, Reliance Jio, Thales, and others - has become an integral part of the global standard.”

BS Murty, director of IIT Hyderabad, said that the institute is committed to breakthrough research in the area of wireless communication. It will work towards globally adopted patents and products, propelling India towards the Viksit Bharat mission, he adds.