The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), the telecommunications research and development (R&D) centre of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications, has partnered with the Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi, to establish its sixth Centre of Excellence (CoE).
The collaboration aims to strengthen India’s telecom innovation ecosystem by combining C-DOT’s expertise in indigenous telecommunications technologies with IIT (BHU)’s academic and research capabilities.
According to the Ministry of Communications, the partnership seeks to bridge the gap between academic research and real-world technological requirements, create opportunities for innovation, and develop a skilled workforce for the evolving telecommunications sector.
“It will bring together researchers, faculty, students, and technology experts from C-DOT and IIT (BHU) to undertake joint research and promote sustained knowledge exchange. The initiative will strengthen academia-industry collaboration to support the development of indigenous technologies in areas critical to the nation’s digital and communication infrastructure,” the ministry said.
The Centre of Excellence will focus on wireless communications, quantum technologies, cybersecurity, and AI-driven communication systems. It will undertake advanced research in emerging areas, including 5G Advanced and 6G technologies, very large-scale multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems, integrated sensing and communication, AI-native communication networks and devices, and quantum and post-quantum communication technologies.
Highlighting the significance of the collaboration, C-DOT CEO Dr Rajkumar Upadhyay said, “This Centre of Excellence is more than a research platform, it is an investment in India’s future technology capabilities. The next generation of communications will be shaped by advances in AI, quantum technologies, advanced wireless systems and intelligent networks. Through this CoE, C-DOT and IIT (BHU) are creating a collaborative ecosystem to explore these frontiers and accelerate the development of indigenous technologies for India’s digital future.”
IIT (BHU) Director Professor Amit Patra said, “The collaboration with C-DOT will provide a strong platform for translating academic research into impactful technological solutions. It will enable our students and researchers to engage with real-world challenges in telecommunications while contributing to India’s journey towards self-reliance in advanced communication technologies.”
With the establishment of the new centre, C-DOT’s national network of Centres of Excellence has expanded to six. Its existing collaborations include IIT Kanpur, IIT Gandhinagar, IIT Roorkee, IIT Hyderabad, and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, through FSID. These centres aim to contribute to the development of future-ready communication technologies, promote knowledge exchange, and nurture specialised talent.
