C-DOT, IISc Bengaluru and FSID Join Hands to Establish Centre of Excellence for Indigenous Telecom Research.
New Delhi:
In a major step towards strengthening India’s indigenous telecommunications research and innovation ecosystem, the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) has signed a tripartite agreement with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru and the Foundation for Science Innovation and Development (FSID) to establish a Centre of Excellence (CoE) dedicated to advanced communication technologies.
The initiative, announced on Wednesday, is aimed at accelerating cutting-edge research, fostering industry-academia collaboration, and supporting the Government of India’s vision of a self-reliant and Viksit Bharat in the telecommunications sector.
C-DOT, the premier telecom research and development centre under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications, said the newly established Centre of Excellence at IISc Bengaluru will serve as a dedicated platform for high-impact research and development in next-generation communication technologies. The CoE will promote innovation, technology development, capacity building, intellectual property creation, and commercialization of indigenous telecom solutions.
Focus on Future Communication Technologies
The Centre of Excellence will undertake advanced research in several strategic and emerging technology domains, including:
– Wireless communication technologies
– 5G Advanced and 6G networks
– Very Large-Scale Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) systems
– Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC)
– Artificial Intelligence (AI)-native communication networks and devices
– Quantum communication technologies
– Post-quantum cryptography and secure communications
– Cybersecurity for communication networks
By leveraging IISc’s globally recognized research capabilities and C-DOT’s expertise in indigenous telecom technologies, the Centre aims to develop future-ready communication systems capable of addressing India’s growing digital infrastructure requirements while enhancing technological self-reliance.
Strengthening Industry-Academia Collaboration
The CoE is expected to become a collaborative platform connecting researchers, faculty members, students, telecom experts, industry partners, and startups. Apart from undertaking advanced research projects, it will facilitate workshops, training programmes, academic exchanges, technology demonstrations, and collaborative innovation initiatives.
Officials believe the partnership will also help nurture highly skilled manpower in advanced communication technologies while supporting deep-tech startups and creating globally competitive intellectual property.
Fifth Centre of Excellence Established by C-DOT
With the launch of the IISc Bengaluru Centre of Excellence, C-DOT has now established five Centres of Excellence across premier academic institutions in the country. Similar collaborations have already been initiated with:
– IIT Hyderabad
– IIT Kanpur
– IIT Gandhinagar
– IIT Roorkee
The growing network reflects C-DOT’s long-term strategy to create a nationwide telecom innovation ecosystem capable of driving indigenous research and positioning India as a global leader in next-generation telecommunications.
Agreement Signed in Presence of Senior Officials
The tripartite agreement was signed in the presence of Dr. Rajkumar Upadhyay, CEO, C-DOT, and Mr. Omprakash Subbarao, CEO, FSID, along with faculty members from IISc Bengaluru and senior officials of C-DOT.
Following the signing ceremony, the newly established Centre of Excellence was formally inaugurated.
Special Lecture on Indigenous Communication Technologies
On the occasion, Dr. Rajkumar Upadhyay delivered a special lecture to the IISc community titled “Role of C-DOT in Building Secure Indigenous Communication Technologies for Viksit Bharat.”
During the lecture, he highlighted India’s remarkable progress in digital connectivity and telecommunications, emphasizing the strategic importance of developing secure and trusted indigenous communication technologies. He also discussed C-DOT’s contributions in next-generation telecom networks, cybersecurity, AI-enabled communication systems, quantum-secure communications, and India’s emerging leadership in the development of 6G technologies.
C-DOT CEO Highlights Strategic Importance
Describing the significance of the collaboration, Dr. Rajkumar Upadhyay said the establishment of the Centre of Excellence represents a strategic investment in India’s future telecom innovation ecosystem.
He noted that the partnership combines IISc’s world-class research expertise with C-DOT’s experience in indigenous telecom technology development to accelerate breakthroughs in 5G Advanced, 6G, artificial intelligence, quantum communications, and other frontier technologies.
According to him, the collaboration will strengthen India’s technological self-reliance while nurturing future innovators, researchers, intellectual property, and deep-tech enterprises that will contribute significantly to the vision of a developed India.
IISc Welcomes Long-Term Research Collaboration
Prof. Neelesh B. Mehta, Chair of the Department of Electrical Communication Engineering (ECE) at IISc Bengaluru, said the partnership would enable sustained collaboration between IISc faculty and students working on cutting-edge communication research and C-DOT’s engineers and domain experts.
He expressed confidence that the collaboration would significantly accelerate innovation in advanced communication technologies.
FSID Reaffirms Commitment to Innovation
Speaking on the occasion, FSID CEO Omprakash Subbarao described the agreement as an important milestone in strengthening collaboration between academia and industry.
He said FSID remains committed to bridging research institutions and industry because collaborative innovation is essential for enhancing India’s scientific ecosystem and technological leadership. He expressed confidence that the partnership would lead to impactful research projects and meaningful technological outcomes for the country.
Boost to India’s Telecom Innovation Mission
The establishment of the C-DOT Centre of Excellence at IISc Bengaluru marks another significant milestone in India’s efforts to build an indigenous, secure, and globally competitive telecom ecosystem. By bringing together one of the country’s premier research institutions with its leading telecom R&D organization, the initiative is expected to accelerate innovation in next-generation communication technologies and reinforce India’s ambition of becoming a global leader in advanced telecommunications.
