TEC, IIT Kanpur sign MoU to drive India-specific telecom standards and 6G research
Officials from the Telecommunication Engineering Centre and IIT Kanpur exchange signed documents after formalising a memorandum of understanding for joint research and technical collaboration in advanced telecom technologies and global standardisation, in New Delhi on January 8, 2026.
Partnership targets global standard-setting bodies, indigenous R&D and future network technologies
New Delhi: The Telecommunication Engineering Centre has signed a memorandum of understanding with IIT Kanpur to collaborate on joint studies, research and technical contributions in advanced telecom technologies and global standardisation.
The agreement, signed on January 8, establishes a formal framework for cooperation in developing India-specific standards, testing frameworks and pre-standardisation research for emerging communication technologies, including 6G, artificial intelligence in telecom, non-terrestrial networks, internet of things, digital twins, metaverse applications and quantum communication.
Under the partnership, the two institutions will work together to strengthen India’s participation and leadership in global standard-setting and radiocommunication bodies such as ITU-T, ITU-R and 3GPP, among others. The collaboration also aims to accelerate indigenous research and development and expand India’s influence in international standardisation processes.
The MoU was signed by representatives of TEC and IIT Kanpur in New Delhi, in the presence of senior officials and faculty members from both organisations.
Key areas of collaboration include research on 6G architecture and enabling technologies; joint technical studies in 4G, 5G, LTE-Advanced, NB-IoT and future network architectures; and development of signalling, protocols and interoperability testing frameworks.
The partnership will also focus on AI- and machine learning-enabled telecom systems for network automation and optimisation, advanced radio, antenna and massive MIMO technologies, and satellite and non-terrestrial networks, including disaster-resilient and emergency connectivity solutions.
Additional areas include IoT ecosystems, digital twin technologies, immersive communication platforms, and quantum communication, covering technologies such as quantum key distribution, post-quantum cryptography and quantum random number generation for secure communications.
According to the organisations, the collaboration aligns with the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision by strengthening indigenous research, design and manufacturing in telecom. By developing India-specific standards and home-grown solutions, the partnership aims to reduce import dependence and secure critical communications infrastructure.
TEC is the technical arm of the Department of Telecommunications and is responsible for formulating telecom standards, specifications and conformity assessment requirements in India, while representing the country in international standardisation forums. IIT Kanpur is a premier institute with research strengths in advanced telecommunications, 5G and 6G technologies, artificial intelligence applications, space technology and emerging ICT domains.
