DoT to foster development of Cell-Free 6G Access Points; signs MoU with IITs

New Delhi [India], July 24 : The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) will enhance its attempts to develop indigenous technology in the field of 6G telecommunications.
The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), a telecom R&D centre of DoT, has signed an MoU with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee and IIT Mandi for the development of 'Cell-Free' 6G Access Points.
This 6G project will focus on developing APs for enabling the upcoming 6G radio access networks and also aims to contribute to the 6G standardisation activity, drive commercialization, generate intellectual property rights (IPRs), and develop a skilled workforce to support the emerging 6G landscape.
Under this initiative, funding and support will be given to domestic companies, Indian startups, academia, and R&D institutions involved in technology design, development, and commercialisation of telecommunication products and solutions.
This scheme aims to enable affordable broadband and mobile services, playing a significant role in bridging the digital divide across India.
As per the Ministry, the agreement is part of the Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) scheme of the Department of Telecommunications.
Traditional mobile networks use cellular topologies in which each cell is serviced by a single base station like 4G/5G to service mobile customers.
'Cell-Free' Massive MIMO (multiple-input and multiple-output) eliminates the idea of cells and cell boundaries by deploying several access points (APs) across a vast region to serve many user devices at the same time.
A large number of APs are dedicated to each user within their coverage area, meaning a single user may be supported by many APs.
This ensures ubiquitous connectivity to the users, eliminates dead zones, enhances signal strength, and significantly boosts data speeds, offering an exceptional user experience even in densely populated areas.