IIT Roorkee, in Partnership with C-DOT and IIT Mandi, Commits to Develop Cell-Free 6G Network

In a significant step towards developing Indigenous state-of-the-art next-generation telecommunications technology, the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT Roorkee) in collaboration with Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi (IIT Mandi) has signed an agreement with the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), the premier Telecom R&D centre of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Government of India for the development of "Cell-Free 6G Access Points".

The agreement is signed under the Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) scheme of Department of Telecommunications, Government of India, which has been designed for providing funding support to domestic companies, Indian startups, academia and R&D institutions involved in technology design, development, commercialization of telecommunication products and solutions. This scheme aims to enable affordable broadband and mobile services, playing a significant role in bridging the digital divide across India.

Traditional mobile networks use cellular topologies in which each cell is serviced by a single base station like 4G/5G to service mobile customers. ‘Cell-Free’ Massive MIMO (multiple-input and multiple-output) eliminates the idea of cells and cell boundaries by deploying several access points (APs) across a vast region to serve many user devices at the same time. A large number of APs are dedicated to each user within their coverage area, meaning a single user may be supported by many APs. This ensures ubiquitous connectivity to the users, eliminates dead zones, enhances signal strength, and significantly boosts data speeds, offering an exceptional user experience even in densely populated areas.

This 6G project will focus on developing APs for enabling the upcoming 6G radio access networks and also aims to contribute to the 6G standardization activity, drive commercialization, generate intellectual property rights (IPRs), and develop a skilled workforce to support the emerging 6G landscape.

The agreement was signed during a ceremony attended by the CEO, C-DOT - Dr Rajkumar Upadhyay, the principal investigator - Dr Abhay Kumar Sah from IIT Roorkee, the co-investigator - Dr Adarsh Patel from IIT Mandi along with the Director of C-DOT - Dr Pankaj Kumar Dalela.

At the event, Dr Sah and Dr Patel affirmed their dedication to advancing next-generation communication technologies, aligning with the Prime Minister's Bharat 6G Vision. They expressed their gratitude to DOT and C-DOT for the opportunity to collaborate on this research, emphasizing that it bolsters efforts to enhance cutting-edge research capabilities and infrastructure in the telecom sector.

Dr Rajkumar Upadhyay, CEO, C-DOT underscored the key role of indigenously designed & developed technologies in meeting the specific requirements of communication for our diverse country, reaffirming the commitment towards “Atmanirbhar Bharat”. He also said this will help us generating IPRs in 6G domain and emerging technologies in the area of 6G.

Prof. K.K. Pant, Director of IIT Roorkee, remarked: " This partnership with C-DOT marks a pivotal step in our commitment to indigenous development of state-of-the-art telecommunications technologies. IIT Roorkee is proud to lead this initiative, which aligns perfectly with our mission to foster innovation and excellence in research. This collaboration significantly contributes to India's 6G vision and reinforces our position as a leader in technological advancements”.

Representatives from C-DOT, IIT Roorkee, and IIT Mandi expressed their enthusiasm and commitment to this collaborative endeavor, underscoring their dedication to developing and shaping India's 6G vision.