New Delhi, Dec 2: Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), the premier Telecom R&D centre of the Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications, Government of India conducted a workshop centered on the theme, “Exploiting the Potential of Indian Telecom R&D Together – The Way Forward” with the awardees of the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) and Digital Communication Innovation Square (DCIS) schemes of the Government of India at its Delhi campus on Thursday.

The technical workshop was inaugurated by K Rajaraman, Secretary, Department of Telecommunications & Chairman, Digital Communications Commission, Government of India in the presence of Anita Praveen, Special Secretary, Department of Telecommunications, Government of India.

The objective of the workshop was to bring various stakeholders including the industry, R&D, academia, startups and MSMEs on a common platform to deliberate upon the strengths and weaknesses in the indigenous manufacturing eco-system and work out effective technologies in an expeditious manner. The workshop was focused on leveraging the R&D expertise of C-DOT in diverse areas of Telecom by the Indian manufacturing & startup ecosystem to accelerate the indigenous development of market-deployable solutions to not only meet the domestic demand but also for exporting to other countries.

The participants of the workshop were briefed about the R&D endeavours of C-DOT along with the cutting-edge initiatives of the Department of Telecommunications to support the proliferation of indigenously developed and manufactured technologies on a global scale.

Speaking at the event, Rajaraman emphasized the need to bring synergy across the relevant stakeholders to tap the huge potential of home-grown technologies and expertise that would pave the way for the realization of the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of “Atmanirbhar Bharat” and “Gati Shakti”. He also highlighted the Government’s priorities towards making India a manufacturing hub that is reflected in the phenomenal growth of domestic electronics manufacturing since 2014-15. He said that 5G offers us a great opportunity and  5G spectrum auctions are slated to take place early next year. He exhorted C-DOT to take active leadership in the early implementation of 5G & 6G in collaboration with Indian companies, start-ups and academia.

Anita Praveen, Special Secretary, Department of Telecommunications, Government of India stressed upon DoT’s initiatives like PLI and DCIS aimed at encouraging the industry and start-ups to accelerate indigenous development & production of Telecom technologies. She emphasized collaboration with R&D in the Telecom Sector for active participation in the implementation of 5G in the country. She visited the C-DOT Products exhibition and advised C-DOT to work closely with local industry & start-ups for the commercialization of indigenous R&D.

Dr. Rajkumar Upadhyay, Executive Director, C-DOT remarked that C-DOT is keen on having collaboration with academia and industry including MSMEs and start-ups in various areas of Telecom to develop cost-competitive indigenous systems and assured them full support and cooperation in this regard. He also elaborated on various modes of engagement with C-DOT including collaborative R&D and Transfer of Technology.

Rajaram Ghosh, CEO, Priyaraj Electronics, Rajesh Tuli, MD, Coral Telecom and T.S. Ramu, Director, Lekha Wireless also expressed their views on identifying opportunities of mutual engagement to build productive alliances with C-DOT to develop total end-to-end indigenous solutions and reduce dependence upon technology imports. They showed trust in C-DOT’s R&D endeavours and remarked that effective collaboration with R&D will ensure speed to market.

The representatives from the Technology Development Board, Department of Science & Technology, Government of India talked about various initiatives of the Government to extend support and funding to start-ups and eligible companies for the commercialization of indigenous innovations.

Multiple bilateral meets were organized amongst the representatives from C-DOT, DOT and Indian companies & start-ups as part of the workshop to explore areas of joint collaboration to meet market-driven requirements in a time-bound manner.