The Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC), the technical arm of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Naya Raipur, the Ministry of Communication said in a statement on Saturday.

The partnership aims to jointly work on research, innovation, and standardisation in next-generation telecommunications technologies.

This collaboration brings together TEC’s leadership in telecom standardisation and IIIT Naya Raipur’s expertise in academic research to strengthen India’s role in global telecom innovation, the ministry said.

The partnership will focus on several key areas. One important area is Open RAN and network disaggregation, where both institutions will work on developing open interfaces, modular architectures, virtualisation, and ensuring interoperability across vendors.

Another focus area is cognitive radio and spectrum sharing, where research will be carried out on coexistence frameworks and studies that align with global spectrum policies, including the agenda of the upcoming World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-27).

In addition, joint research will be undertaken in 5G, 6G, and IoT frameworks, including the creation of advanced test environments to support future generations of networks. Both partners will also actively contribute to global and national standardisation efforts, participating in ITU-T Study Groups and TEC’s National Working Groups to represent India’s interests.

A significant part of the collaboration will be the development of India-specific test frameworks, standards, and interoperability solutions tailored to the country’s diverse digital ecosystem. These efforts will help ensure that solutions are affordable, interoperable, and suited to India’s unique connectivity needs.

The partnership will boost India’s participation in international telecom standards and policy forums. By creating joint research testbeds and real-world collaborations, it will accelerate innovation in emerging communication technologies.

"It also supports the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat by fostering indigenous research, design, and development in telecom," the statement said.

The initiative will promote affordable, interoperable, and vendor-neutral solutions tailored for India’s diverse connectivity needs, while preparing the nation for 6G networks and advanced IoT applications.