by LAUREN CODLING
UNIVERSITIES in the UK will collaborate with the Indian government to help develop 5G technologies, it was announced last week.
A number of Memorandum of Agreements (MoUs) were signed last Wednesday (20) at
the Indian High Commission by a representative from India’s Centre for Development
of Telematics (C-DOT) and representatives of three academic institutes in the UK.
The collaboration aims to explore the early development of 5G technology and support
the creation of the innovative network.
“With collaboration, we can do so much,” said Manoj Sinha, the Indian minister of communications. “Of course, it is a huge development. It will be transformative.”
It would be the next step up from the 4G telecom technologies, initially launched in the
UK and India in 2012.
The latest technology is thought to not only improve speeds for broadband users, it
is also expected to have a significant impact on transport, health, manufacturing, railways,
public safety and power.
The agreements now mean that C-DOT will get access to experts and labs on 5G and associated technologies in the UK universities.
UK institutions will additionally be able to take part in the current establishment of
5G testbeds, a piece of equipment used for testing new scientific theories, where India
can work together with the facilities in the UK.
Sinha said the Indian government was committed to ensuring it was on par with the
rest of the world in terms of technological developments.
“The signing of these agreements with premier academic institutions in the United Kingdom
is an important milestone for us,” Sinha said. “We expect this strong partnership
to produce accelerated outcomes that benefit both our great countries,” he added.
The agreements were signed by Vipin Tyagi, the executive director of C-DOT; Professor
Mischa Dohler, professor of wireless communications and head of the centre for telecommunications research at King’s College London; Professor Rahim Tafazolli, director and founder of the 5G innovation centre at the University of Surrey and the 5GUK project leader; and Professor Dimitra Simeonidou, director of the Smart Internet Lab at the University of Bristol and chief scientific officer for Bristol.
Others in attendance included the Indian high commissioner YK Sinha, and Liam
Maxwell, the UK’s national technology adviser.
In April, Britain announced a major tech partnership with India which paired businesses,
universities and others from different regions in the UK with states in the subcontinent.
Previously, the British digital secretary Matt Hancock said he hoped the “ambitious” partnership would bring together some of the best minds working in tech to “unlock its
future potential and deliver high-skilled jobs and economic growth in both countries”
