C-DOT and IIT Hyderabad Forge Strategic Alliance to Accelerate India’s Race in 6G, Quantum, and AI Telecom Technologies

C-DOT and IIT Hyderabad Forge Strategic Alliance to Accelerate India’s Race in 6G, Quantum, and AI Telecom Technologies​

The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), the premier telecom R&D centre under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), has signed a pivotal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH). This strategic partnership aims to dramatically advance research and innovation across next-generation communication technologies in India.

As part of this collaboration, C-DOT is establishing a Centre of Excellence (CoE) at IIT Hyderabad. The CoE will serve as a dedicated hub for high-impact R&D, accelerating indigenous research and capacity building across advanced communication domains. This initiative strengthens the crucial synergy between academia and industry.

Establishing a National Hub for Future Telecom Tech​

The new Centre of Excellence is set to significantly boost India's technological self-reliance journey. It will leverage the academic excellence of IIT Hyderabad combined with C-DOT's deep expertise in indigenous telecom solutions.

The CoE focuses on high-growth areas including wireless communications, quantum technologies, cybersecurity, and AI-driven applications. This marks the fourth such CoE established by C-DOT, following successful collaborations at institutions like IIT Kanpur, IIT Gandhinagar, and IIT Roorkee. The hub will enable students and researchers to drive innovation in vital technology sectors.

The research scope is comprehensive, covering areas such as 5G Advanced/6G technologies, integrated sensing and communication systems, very large-scale MIMO, and quantum & post-quantum communications.

Driving Indigenous Innovation in 6G and AI Applications​

This collaboration promises to reshape India's standing in the global telecom innovation landscape. The CoE will facilitate joint research and prototype development across emerging domains. It will also provide a structured platform for continuous knowledge exchange through workshops and training programs.

C-DOT has already engaged with WISIG, a startup incubated at IIT Hyderabad, for developing disaggregated 5G O-RAN solutions. Building on this initial success, the CoE will actively support startups in fostering intellectual property creation within advanced telecom domains.

Dr. Rajkumar Upadhyay, CEO of C-DOT, emphasized that the establishment of the CoE is a strategic step toward building an innovation pipeline. He stated the goal is to create globally competitive and scalable secure telecom solutions, positioning India as a global leader.

Commitment to Self-Reliance and Ecosystem Growth​

Prof. B. S. Murty, Director at IIT Hyderabad, highlighted that this partnership is a major milestone for the institution. He noted that IIT Hyderabad's strengths in communication engineering and semiconductor technologies perfectly complement C-DOT’s mission for secure and indigenous solutions.

Dr. Upadhyay detailed C-DOT's extensive portfolio of indigenous solutions, which includes the TRINETRA cybersecurity suite, disaster management platforms, and Mission Critical Communication (MCX). He also highlighted AI applications like Sanchar Saathi and fraud detection systems.

This collaboration reflects C-DOT’s commitment to nurturing talent and enabling next-generation technologies through partnerships with leading academic institutions. The initiative directly contributes to India's national goal of technological self-reliance in the global telecom landscape.