IIT BHU Sets Up C DOT Centre of Excellence for 5G, 6G and AI Telecom Research

IIT BHU and C-DOT Establish Centre of Excellence for 5G, 6G and AI Telecom Research

Uttar Pradesh: India's future telecommunications are expected to include not just high-speed mobile broadband. There is an increasing focus on next-generation intelligent networks, advanced wireless systems, and the use of various advanced technologies such as secure communications, quantum technologies, etc. A new collaboration between IIT (BHU) and the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) will research and work on the aforementioned areas.

The establishment of C-DOT’s 6th Centre of Excellence (CoE) at IIT (BHU) was announced by the Ministry of Communications on 23 October 2026. It aims to facilitate collaboration on research and technology development in the fields of emerging telecommunications and related areas, and provide specialized training in these fields.

What is the IIT BHU - C-DOT Centre of Excellence?

Through a Memorandum of Understanding, C-DOT and IIT (BHU) have created a Centre of Excellence. The partnership provides C-DOT the opportunity to combine its telecommunications research expertise with the academic and research expertise of IIT (BHU). Members of both the organisations, i.e. researchers, faculty members, students, and technology specialists, will be able to engage in research on various areas of communication and information technologies.

The aim is to integrate academic research with industrial requirements. This may help in working on technological challenges, and aid in developing communication technology products tailored to meet the requirements of India’s digital infrastructure. The partnership endeavours to create a strong base for knowledge exchange and extend support to next-generation telecommunications.

What Technologies Will the Centre Research?

The centre’s work will cover several areas that will influence the design, security and operation of future communications networks.

1. 5G Advanced and 6G technologies

Beyond 5G research may include improvements in terms of network performance, connectivity, and intelligent resource management, and next-generation communication needs.

2. Artificial intelligence in communication networks

The centre will study artificial intelligence in communication systems, networks and devices. This may cover AI in optimizing and automating communication network infrastructures.

3. Advanced wireless communication and MIMO systems

The centre will study large scale MIMO systems, which are one of the emerging technologies for next generation wireless communication.

4. Integrated Sensing and Communication

Although still a fairly new area of research, Integrated Sensing and Communication combines both communication and sensing within the same architecture and may be applied to intelligent wireless communication systems.

5. Quantum and cybersecurity technologies

The centre will examine Quantum and Post-Quantum communication technologies and cybersecurity. These technologies may be researched to address advanced security and privacy needs of communication and information systems.

In the government announcement, these are identified as the highest research priorities; they do not, however, mention a specific end product or guarantee when the product will come to market or be deployed.

Who Signed the MoU?

The MoU was signed by Dr. Pankaj Kumar Dalela, Executive Vice President at C-DOT and Professor Amit Patra, Director of IIT (BHU), Varanasi. Other faculty members and staff from both organizations were also present. The MoU was signed after the Centre of Excellence was inaugurated. Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Rajkumar Upadhyay, CEO, C-DOT, said that investing in the center is an investment in future technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Quantum, Advanced Wireless Technologies, Intelligent networks and systems and other emerging technologies which will shape the future communications.

Professor Amit Patra said, the collaboration will provide students and researchers to work on the challenges of the communication systems of today and tomorrow, and align with India’s initiatives towards telecommunication self-reliance and for advanced communication technologies.

How Does the Centre Strengthen India's Telecom Research?

As per the government release, the collaboration will expand C-DOT’s national network of Centres of Excellence to six, which currently includes IIT Kanpur, IIT Gandhinagar, IIT Roorkee, IIT Hyderabad and IISc Bengaluru.

For students and researchers, the collaboration will provide an opportunity to work on the challenges posed by contemporary and emerging communications systems and align with industry focused research. For India’s technology ecosystem, the collaboration aims to build indigenous research focused on communication technologies, which are of strategic importance.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. When was the announcement for the IIT BHU-C-DOT Centre of Excellence made?

The announcement was made by the Ministry of Communications on 23 October 2026, through the Press Information Bureau.

2. Where is the Centre of Excellence located?

It is located at IIT (BHU), Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

3. What is the main objective of the Centre?

The objective is to undertake cooperative research and build capacity in advanced telecommunication technologies.

4. What technologies will the Centre focus on?

The research areas will include next-generation wireless systems (5G and beyond), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Quantum and Post-Quantum Communication and Computing, Cyber Security, Large MIMO, Integrated Sensing and Communication, and other advanced wireless systems.

5. What are the organizations that form part of this collaboration?

The collaboration is between C-DOT (a unit of the Department of Telecommunications) and IIT (BHU), Varanasi.

6. Is the new Centre of Excellence the first of its kind established by C-DOT?

No. C-DOT describes this as the 6th Centre of Excellence among several other collaborative research facilities.

Click Here for More Latest News