The Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC), the technical arm of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur to collaborate on joint studies, research, and technical contributions in advanced telecom technologies and international standardisation.
Under the agreement, TEC and IIT Kanpur will work together on developing India-specific standards and testing frameworks for emerging and future communication technologies. Focus areas include 6G, artificial intelligence in telecom, non-terrestrial networks (NTNs), the Internet of Things (IoT), digital twins, immersive systems such as the metaverse, and quantum communication. The partnership also aims to strengthen India’s participation and leadership in global standard-setting and radiocommunication bodies, including ITU-T, ITU-R, and 3GPP.
The MoU was signed on 8 January 2026 by Shri Amit Kumar Srivastava, DDG (Mobile Technologies), TEC, and Prof. Tarun Gupta, Dean (R&D), IIT Kanpur. The signing took place in the presence of Prof. Manindra Agrawal, Director, IIT Kanpur; Prof. Rohit Budhiraja, IIT Kanpur; and Shri Shashi Mohan, DDG (Information Technology), TEC.
This agreement establishes a formal framework for close collaboration between TEC and IIT Kanpur on next-generation telecom research and standardisation activities.
Key areas of collaboration include:
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6G technologies: Research into 6G architecture and enabling technologies, with contributions to pre-standardisation and standardisation efforts in global forums.
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Telecom networks and architecture: Joint studies covering 4G, 5G, LTE-Advanced, NB-IoT, and future networks, including architecture, signalling, protocols, and interoperability testing.
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AI-enabled telecom systems: Research on AI and machine learning for network automation, optimisation, and intelligent management, paving the way for AI-native future networks.
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Radio, antenna, and MIMO technologies: Collaborative work on advanced antenna systems, massive MIMO, and related radio access technologies.
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Satellite and non-terrestrial networks: Studies on satellite communications, NTNs, high-altitude platform systems (HAPS), and satellite–terrestrial integration, with an emphasis on disaster-resilient and emergency connectivity.
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IoT, digital twins, and immersive systems: Joint research into IoT ecosystems, digital twin applications, and immersive communication platforms.
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Quantum communication: Research on quantum key distribution (QKD), post-quantum cryptography (PQC), quantum random number generation (QRNG), and related secure communication technologies.
Through this partnership, TEC and IIT Kanpur aim to strengthen India’s influence in global standardisation processes and contribute more effectively to international standards bodies. The collaboration also supports the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision by promoting indigenous research, design, and manufacturing in telecom, developing home-grown solutions, enhancing the security of critical communications infrastructure, and reducing dependence on imports.