Dr Rajkumar Upadhyay, chief executive officer, C-DOT
The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) has been instrumental in the introduction of key technologies in the country. Apart from providing solutions for current and future communication requirements, the centre is actively working to promote domestic manufacturing of telecom equipment. In an interview with tele.net, Dr Rajkumar Upadhyay, chief executive officer, C-DOT, talks about the organisation’s role in the evolving telecom space, the research and development (R&D) initiatives being undertaken, and C-DOT’s future focus areas…
What are your views on India’s evolving telecom landscape? What is C-DOT’s role in this space?
India’s telecom sector is witnessing dynamic growth fuelled by digital transformation, the smartphone revolution, data proliferation, the emergence of technologies like 5G, machine-to-machine (M2M) communications and artificial intelligence (AI), and the policy measures taken by the government. Today, we are the second largest telecommunication market in the world in terms of subscriber base, with one of the highest mobile data consumption rates per month per subscriber. The fastest 5G roll-out in the world is a testament to India’s technological prowess in telecom.
The evolving telecom landscape reflects India’s transition from being a technology importer to a technology developer and exporter. A decade ago, 98 per cent of the mobile phones used in India were imported, but today, an impressive 99.2 per cent mobiles are made locally. The smartphone boom has redefined access to services, increasing the demand for diverse, affordable offerings. India now relies on the telecom industry to meet the evolving needs in entertainment, education, health, commerce, Industry 4.0 and social media. Given the dynamically evolving cyberthreat landscape, security has become paramount. India has made significant strides in cybersecurity with its targeted technology endeavours to make the country’s communication network backbone more robust and resilient, ensuring a high degree of data confidentiality and integrity. From both economic and security perspectives, the country is advancing in designing, developing and manufacturing indigenous telecom solutions like 4G/5G/6G.
C-DOT has had an eventful journey in becoming the premier telecom R&D centre of the Government of India. Since its inception, C-DOT has significantly contributed across various telecom technology segments such as optical communication, switching and routing, wireless communication, 4G, 5G, network management, cybersecurity, quantum communication, and a host of telecom software applications based on AI/machine learning (ML), M2M/internet of things (IoT), big data and other emerging telecom technology trends. With over 143 technology transfers across 40 technologies, C-DOT has been a strategic asset for the nation and is contributing to the government’s Digital India, Make in India, Skill India as well as “Aatmanirbhar Bharat missions.” missions.
C-DOT remains committed to achieving synergistic collaboration among academia, industry and startups within the local telecom ecosystem.
What are the key technologies and products that C-DOT is currently working on?
C-DOT, with its four decades of experience across various stages of the telecom technology lifecycle, has diversified its products and solutions across a wide spectrum of technologies. Currently, it is focused on strengthening the home-grown 4G and 5G ecosystem with end-to-end solutions including core and radio access network (RAN), in partnership with local industry and academia. C-DOT has been firm in facilitating research in various 6G domains through collaboration. With telecom security becoming paramount in current times, we have developed technologies in quantum communication including quantum key distribution (QKD) and post-quantum cryptography (PQC) for enabling various use cases, including strategic applications. Our QKD products are already certified by the Telecom Engineering Centre (TEC), and we will continue to work in this area for bringing advanced products in line with advancements in this field. We are now the sixth country in the world to have our own ITU CAP (common alerting protocol)-based disaster alert management system and one of the few vendors in the world to offer cell broadcast solutions for the effective dissemination of alert messages during disasters and calamities. The CAP-based disaster management system has already been deployed by the National Disaster Management Authority across the country, thereby saving countless lives. Cybersecurity is another area where C-DOT has been indigenously developing all-encompassing solutions for analysing and monitoring the internet traffic flowing through the country’s network gateways, and identifying and mitigating cyberthreats and vulnerabilities. C-DOT has been undertaking key research initiatives to enhance the strengths of telecom networks with the latest advancements in automation, AI/ML, computer vision and IoT/M2M solutions. C-DOT remains steadfast in its commitment to citizen-centric services for curbing cyber frauds and theft and cloning of mobile phones.
What are your views on the current level of indigenisation in the Indian telecom space? What steps need to be undertaken to promote domestic manufacturing and uptake of indigenous products?
I can confidently say that the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat is taking good shape and this is clearly visible in the Indian telecom space. Government policies mandating the procurement and deployment of domestically manufactured equipment by government organisations, coupled with support in the form of funds, subsidies and incentives, are catalysing the indigenisation of the telecom sector. The government has taken various steps to enhance local manufacturing and designs, including schemes, such as the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme, design-linked incentive scheme and preference for Make-in-India equipment and solutions. The PLI scheme has an outlay of Rs 121.95 billion for a period of five years. This scheme has already been extended for telecom and networking products to 42 beneficiaries. Under the Digital Communication Innovation Square Scheme, out of the total outlay of Rs 476 million, Rs 190 million has already been disbursed to 66 beneficiaries, apart from the completion of 29 pilot projects and creation of 23 intellectual property rights. Schemes like the Telecom Technology Development Fund, with an outlay of around Rs 5,000 million per annum, aim to provide funding and assistance to industry and startups in India to drive R&D efforts in the telecom sector.
C-DOT has adopted a multi-pronged approach, which includes creating a supportive policy framework for collaborative research with local industries and startups, setting up incubation centres for startups, providing scholarships for PhD scholars, implementing an easy transfer of technology policy, etc. It is a matter of great pride that a fully indigenous 4G/5G-non-standalone solution powered by core from C-DOT and RAN from Tejas Networks is being deployed nationwide by Tata Consultancy Services in Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited’s network. Further, C-DOT-led consortiums for the development of the open RAN-based 5G Bharat RAN, in partnership with local industry and startups, are yielding impressive results. C-DOT is also a part of many committees on the indigenisation of telecom technologies, and a task force for framing recommendations on a phased manufacturing programme for telecom gear manufacturing and building a robust telecom electronics component supply chain ecosystem in India. The task force on Building a Robust Telecom Component Ecosystem, which was chaired by me, has given recommendations to the government to promote components and a printed circuit board ecosystem, with schemes like PLI to increase indigenous value addition in telecom equipment manufacturing in the country.
What are the R&D initiatives undertaken by C-DOT? What are the key partnerships that you are exploring in this regard?
C-DOT’s extensive R&D endeavours span diverse domains, including optical communication, cybersecurity, quantum communication and telecom software applications, all aligned with national priorities. Noteworthy initiatives include the development of 5G systems, QKD and cybersecurity solutions aimed at strengthening India’s telecom infrastructure. Additionally, C-DOT pioneers telecom software applications that leverage emerging technologies such as IoT, AI and big data, catering to critical sectors such as disaster management, smart cities and healthcare.
C-DOT aims to strengthen its alliances in the areas of 5G, 6G, cybersecurity, and quantum technologies and applications, with active participation from academia, industry, startups and other telecom associations. C-DOT also looks forward to forging mutually productive alliances with global telecom institutions and companies. C-DOT has formed the India 5G Alliance and the Quantum Alliance. It is also part of the apex body of the Bharat 6G Alliance. Moreover, it has signed multiple MoUs with international universities, national infrastructure agencies such as Indian Railways, academic institutions like IITs and IISc, and domestic telecom players like VVDN, Galore TCS, Tejas Networks and WiSig Networks.
What will be your key focus areas for the next two to three years?
In addition to establishing its technological presence in deploying indigenous 4G/5G networks in the country, C-DOT looks forward to making significant contributions to the evolution and standardisation of 6G technology at both the national and global levels. With the advent of quantum computers, C-DOT is keen to advance its strides in the area of quantum secured communication, including QKD and PQC, and enable diverse use cases for banking and finance, defence and strategic applications.
C-DOT aims to achieve the ruggedisation of cybersecurity platforms with cutting-edge research initiatives supported by advances in the field of cyberthreat intelligence and AI and ML, particularly for critical infrastructure and establishments. C-DOT is looking forward to collaborating with academia, industry and startups to indigenously develop complex technologies not only to meet national requirements but also for the global markets. C-DOT reiterates its commitment to becoming a globally renowned telecom research institution.
