IIT Kharagpur signs MoU with TEC to boost telecom research, 5G and future network standards

Kolkata: Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC) to collaborate on telecom research, standardisation and innovation.

An IIT Kharagpur spokesperson said Friday the agreement aims to align academic research with national priorities in the telecom and information and communication technology (ICT) sectors. The MoU was signed recently by Deputy Director General (Finance & Administration), TEC, Kamal Kr Agarwal, Associate Dean (Research & Development), IIT Kharagpur Debdeep Mukhopadhyay in the presence of IIT Kharagpur Director Prof Suman Chakraborty and other senior officials.

Under the agreement, the two institutions will jointly work on developing standards, conducting research and contributing to next-generation telecom technologies, including 5G and future networks. TEC is India's national body for telecom standards. It prepares technical standards, specifications and test procedures for telecom equipment and services.

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TEC also represents India at global forums such as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in its standardisation and radiocommunication sectors. The spokesperson said the collaboration will focus on advanced antenna systems and Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) technologies to support 5G and future wireless networks.

The two sides will also work on Passive Optical Network (PON) technologies, including standardising network design, improving deployment models and evaluating performance. Another important area will be electromagnetic field (EMF) monitoring and smart Internet of Things (IoT) solutions.

This will include developing monitoring systems and AI-based sensor platforms to improve safety standards and regulatory compliance. Chakraborty said the MoU also allows both institutions to explore other emerging areas in telecom that match national priorities. The partnership is expected to strengthen India's role in global telecom standardisation efforts while promoting research-led innovation and self-reliance in communication technologies, he added.