The Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC), the technical arm of India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IIT Hyderabad) to conduct joint research, technical studies, and global standardisation efforts in advanced telecom technologies.
This agreement is expected to strengthen India’s capabilities in next-generation mobile networks, including 6G, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Open RAN, and Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs) while supporting the country’s drive to develop indigenous standards and test frameworks. Under the MoU, TEC and IIT Hyderabad will work together on studies for telecom architectures, signaling protocols for technologies such as 4G, 5G and NB-IoT, SAR compliance, and health impact assessments.
The partnership aims to raise India’s profile in global standardisation bodies such as ITU-T and 3GPP, with a sharper focus on contributing India-specific technical solutions and research. Open RAN research will prioritize network disaggregation and orchestration, while work on NTNs will explore integration with terrestrial networks and next-gen connectivity solutions like HAPS.
The MoU was formalized at IIT Hyderabad by Shri Amit Kumar Srivastava, DDG (Mobile Technologies), TEC; Prof. Budaraju Srinivasa Murty, Director, IITH; and attended by senior officials from both organisations.
By combining academic excellence and technical expertise, TEC and IIT Hyderabad hope to accelerate indigenous innovation and reinforce India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat vision—aiming to reduce reliance on imports and secure critical communications infrastructure with home-grown solutions.
Industry experts say the partnership could stimulate India’s participation on the global telecom stage, speeding development of secure, resilient networks for India’s digital future.
