Telecom Secretary Requests C-Dot to Work On 6G

Latest Updated on 11 February 2023

According to Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday, the government has received inquiries about India's telecom stack from 12 significant international telecom service providers.

He stated that the Telecom Technology Development Fund of the government will start increasing from its current level of Rs 500 crore yearly to Rs 3,000–4,000 crore over a number of years.

A full stack of advanced telecom equipment is being developed completely in-house by the Department of Telecommunications (DOT) Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT). This includes creating a 5G core that is entirely domestic and Non-Standalone (NSA).

By October 2023, it will also have created India's first-ever Standalone (SA) 5G core, which is thought to represent a technological advance above the NSA core. According to prior statements made to Business Standard by C-DOT officials, the first 5G radio and antennas to be produced domestically would be available within the next six months, along with the 5G Radio Access Network (RAN).

"There are only 5 nations that have a complete technology stack. These nations also possessed legacy telecommunications infrastructure, which we lacked "explained Vaishnaw.

Vaishnaw said that India was trying to test the technology for 10 million simultaneous connections despite the telecom stack having been successfully tested for 5 million simultaneous connections back in July.

As part of its plans to provide 4G services in early 2023, state-owned telecom operator BSNL will shortly install the whole technology stack.

The government continues to be hopeful about BSNL's future. "In the country, BSNL has about 135,000 towers, many of which are in rural areas that are still not served by the three commercial telecom service providers. This important infrastructure network will make use of the 4G stack, which will be deployed nationwide "said Vaishnaw.

People in the know have indicated that a network launch can happen by June 2023, even if the 5G radio will be "Telco-Grade" by March 2023.

The minister added that in just a few years, Indian manufacturers of telecom equipment want to begin selling.

The October 1st launch of the TTDF aims to provide funding for R&D in communication technology applications geared specifically towards rural areas while also empowering the industry to create and grow a domestic telecom ecosystem centered on cultivating IPR creation, design-led manufacturing, 5G, 6G, and satellite technology, as well as the Internet of Things.

Last Updated on 11 October 2021

Telecom Secretary K Rajaraman has directed the Centre for Development of Telematics, state-run telecom research, and development organization, to initiate production of 6G and other futuristic technologies to keep up with the worldwide market.

Samsung, Huawei, LG, and several other firms have already begun developing 6G technology. The next-generation telecom technology is projected to be commercially available between 2028 to 2030 and is estimated to be 50 times quicker than 5G. The highest data download speed of 5G is estimated to be 20 Gbps based on theoretical calculations. However, during trials in India, Vodafone Idea claims to have achieved the highest topmost speed of 3.7 Gbps. According to the Department of Telecom, 5G technology will provide ten times faster download speeds and up to three times more spectrum efficiency than 4G. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has confirmed that the highest 4G speed in India is about 20 Mbps on the Reliance Jio network.

Recently, Rajaraman paid a visit to C-DOT, where he opened the Quantum Communication Lab and presented the Quantum Key Distribution Solution that was created in-house. The government has set up $1 billion over the next eight years for the National Mission on Quantum Technologies and Applications. C-DoT has become the first company in India to provide a full portfolio of indigenous quantum secure telecom products and solutions to meet the needs of telecom operators as well as key sectors such as defense.