THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

NEW DELHI, JUNE 24, 2026

The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), the premier telecom R&D centre under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications, Government of India, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IIT Hyderabad), a leading institution of national importance, to advance research and innovation in next-generation communication technologies.

As part of this strategic collaboration, C-DOT is establishing a Centre of Excellence (CoE) at IIT Hyderabad to accelerate indigenous research, innovation, and capacity building in advanced communication domains. The Centre will focus on wireless communications, quantum technologies, cybersecurity, and AI-driven applications. The initiative marks the fourth such CoE established by C-DOT, following similar centres at IIT Kanpur, IIT Gandhinagar, and IIT Roorkee, further strengthening India’s national innovation ecosystem.

The CoE will serve as a dedicated hub for high-impact research and development, fostering stronger academia-industry collaboration by leveraging IIT Hyderabad’s academic excellence and C-DOT’s expertise in indigenous telecom solutions. It will provide a platform for students, researchers, and startups to contribute to India’s technological self-reliance and innovation-driven growth.

The Centre will undertake joint research and prototype development in emerging areas such as 5G Advanced and 6G technologies, very large-scale MIMO systems, integrated sensing and communication systems, AI-enabled communication networks and devices, and quantum and post-quantum communications.

The MoU was signed in the presence of Prof. B. S. Murty, Director, IIT Hyderabad, and Dr. Rajkumar Upadhyay, CEO, C-DOT, along with faculty members of the institute and senior officials from C-DOT. The signing ceremony was followed by the inauguration of the Centre of Excellence, formally launching collaborative research activities under the partnership.

C-DOT has already engaged with WiSig, a startup incubated at IIT Hyderabad, for the development and deployment of disaggregated 5G O-RAN solutions. Building on this foundation, the CoE will further support startups, facilitate intellectual property creation, and promote continuous knowledge exchange through workshops, training programmes, and collaborative academic-industry engagements. The initiative is expected to significantly enhance India’s position in global telecom innovation while contributing to the development of a robust and self-reliant digital ecosystem.

During the occasion, Dr. Rajkumar Upadhyay delivered a lecture on “Building Indigenous Communications Technologies for Viksit Bharat”, highlighting India’s evolving telecom landscape, the Bharat 6G Vision, emerging telecom value chains, global standards, and future opportunities. The lecture was attended by students, research scholars, and faculty members of IIT Hyderabad.

He also showcased C-DOT’s indigenous technology portfolio, including 4G and 5G solutions, the TRINETRA cybersecurity suite, secure quantum communication technologies such as Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) and Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC), disaster management platforms, AI-enabled applications including Sanchar Saathi and fraud detection systems, as well as Mission Critical Communication (MCX) solutions.

Articulating the vision behind the collaboration, Dr. Rajkumar Upadhyay, CEO, C-DOT, said, “The establishment of this Centre of Excellence is a strategic step towards creating a robust innovation pipeline for next-generation communication technologies in India. By integrating cutting-edge academic research with real-world deployment capabilities, we aim to build globally competitive, secure, and scalable telecom solutions that position India as a leader gobally.”

Prof. B. S. Murty, Director, IIT Hyderabad, highlighted the significance of the partnership, saying, “This collaboration marks an important milestone for IIT Hyderabad as we join hands with C-DOT to advance India’s next-generation telecom capabilities. IIT Hyderabad’s strengths in communication engineering, semiconductor technologies, and emerging wireless systems will complement C-DOT’s national mission for secure and indigenous telecom solutions. The CoE will provide a transformative platform for our faculty, researchers, and students to co-develop technologies of strategic importance and contribute to India’s long-term vision of technological leadership.”

The collaboration reflects C-DOT’s continued commitment to advancing indigenous telecom innovation through partnerships with leading academic institutions. By promoting cutting-edge research, nurturing skilled talent, and enabling next-generation technologies, the initiative is set to strengthen India’s journey towards technological self-reliance and reinforce its standing in the global telecommunications landscape.