The Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad (IITH) is currently engaged in significant and well-funded research projects focused on the development of indigenous 5G and 6G testbeds. Officials from the institute revealed that there are currently five projects in progress on these subjects. Three of these projects are sponsored by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity), while one each is sponsored by IIITB (International Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore), COMET Foundation, and the Department of Telecommunications.
Chandra Shekhar Sharma, Dean of Sponsored Research and Consultancy at IITH, highlighted some of the ongoing work related to 5G and 6G. One notable project involves the development of the first indigenous ‘Koala,’ designed to enable low-bit rate IoT applications with long-range capability and a device battery life of up to 10 years. This technology has applications in various sectors, including smart meters, machine-to-machine connectivity, sensor connectivity, asset tracking, and digital healthcare.
Interestingly, out of the 3,550 projects undertaken by the institute since its establishment in 2008, a significant number—2,542 projects worth 570 crore—have been sanctioned in the last five years.
Additionally, IITH is actively involved in 10 projects focused on creating smart, durable, and sustainable highway infrastructure. These projects aim to develop innovative technologies and methodologies, incorporating geo-synthetics, reclaimed materials, glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP), rebars for bridges and pavements, and retrofitting strategies for aging bridges, among other solutions. Currently, the faculty and students at IITH are collectively engaged in over 350 projects.
