IIT Kanpur, BSNL sign agreement on 4G, 5G, D2M, indigenous telecom technologies

Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur) and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) have signed an agreement to establish a long-term framework for collaborative research, innovation, development, testing, deployment and commercialization of next-generation telecom and digital technologies aligned with national priorities.

The agreement was signed by Manindra Agrawal, director, IIT Kanpur, and Jitendra Garg, principal general manager (PGM), BSNL, in the presence of Abhay Karandikar, Member, NITI Aayog; A. Robert J. Ravi, chairman and managing director, BSNL; Nandita Bakshi, chief executive officer, Bisnouli Sarvodaya Foundation; Sunil, President, BES(I); along with senior officials, faculty members and researchers.

The partnership will bring together IIT Kanpur's research and innovation ecosystem and BSNL's telecom infrastructure, digital platforms and operational network to support the development, deployment and commercialization of indigenous technologies.

IIT Kanpur, BSNL sign agreement

The collaboration will cover research and development activities in several technology domains. These include 4G, 5G and future communication networks, BharatNet-enabled digital applications, artificial intelligence and machine learning-driven telecom analytics, cybersecurity and cyber resilience solutions, indigenous communication systems, cloud and edge computing, and advanced wireless technologies.

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Other focus areas include GPU/HPC-enabled computing platforms, smart infrastructure solutions, secure data communication systems, telecom infrastructure utilization and monetization, digital public infrastructure and other emerging technologies.

IIT Kanpur focuses on D2M

A key area of collaboration under the agreement will be Direct-to-Mobile (D2M) broadcasting technology. It has been working on research and development in this field. D2M technology enables the broadcast of multimedia content directly to mobile devices without relying solely on conventional cellular networks.

The technology has the potential to support the dissemination of educational content, public information services, disaster management communications and emergency alerts.

IIT Kanpur expands telecom research

The agreement provides for collaborative research, indigenous technology development, pilot deployments, proof-of-concept projects, field trials, testing and validation frameworks.

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The partnership will also focus on capacity building, startup ecosystem engagement, intellectual property creation, standardization initiatives and commercialization of indigenous solutions aligned with the objectives of Digital India and Atmanirbhar Bharat.

BSNL and IIT Kanpur said the framework is intended to support the development and deployment of scalable technology solutions.

IIT Kanpur, BSNL explore innovation

The agreement may also include consultancy support, incubation of innovative solutions and the development of commercially viable products and services. These initiatives could support government, enterprise, strategic and citizen-centric applications.

The two collaborations combine academic research, innovation and deployment capabilities to support technology development and strengthen the digital infrastructure ecosystem.