The partnership creates a formal framework for TEC and IIT-Hyderabad to jointly develop India-specific standards, test frameworks, and technical contributions in emerging domains, including 6G, artificial intelligence, Open RAN, and non-terrestrial networks.
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 (IIT)-Hyderabad to collaborate on joint research, technical studies, and standardisation in next-generation telecom technologies.
This partnership establishes a formal framework for TEC and IIT-Hyderabad to co-develop India-specific standards, test frameworks, and technical contributions across emerging domains such as 6G, artificial intelligence, Open RAN, and non-terrestrial networks. It also aims to strengthen India’s participation in global standardisation bodies, including the International Telecommunication Union’s Telecommunication Standardisation Sector and 3GPP.
The MoU was signed on Friday by Amit Kumar Srivastava, Deputy Director General of Mobile Technologies, TEC, and Budaraju Srinivasa Murty, Director, IIT-Hyderabad, in the presence of Syed Tausif Abbas, Senior DDG and Head of TEC, and Kiran Kumar Kuchi of IIT-Hyderabad. The collaboration will focus on mobile communication technologies, including network architecture, signalling, and protocols for 4G, 5G, and NB-IoT. It will also support research in Open RAN and network disaggregation, with emphasis on open interfaces and orchestration.
The partnership will explore enabling technologies and architecture for 6G, contributing to global forums such as 3GPP. In addition, joint studies will be undertaken on non-terrestrial networks, high-altitude platform systems, and the integration of terrestrial and satellite networks. The collaboration will also address specific absorption rate exposure, compliance frameworks, and health impact assessments.
By leveraging IIT-Hyderabad’s academic expertise and TEC’s regulatory and technical mandate, the partnership is expected to accelerate indigenous R&D, foster innovation in telecom design and manufacturing, and reduce reliance on imported technologies. It aligns with the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision by promoting home-grown solutions that secure critical communications infrastructure and enhance India’s global influence in telecom standardisation.