27 June 2018
King's signs MOU with Indian telecommunications research body to explore 5G
The Centre for Telecommunications Research, Department of Informatics, King’s College London has signed a memorandum of understanding with C-DOT, a government-owned telecommunications research body in India, in order to facilitate meaningful exploration and early adoption of 5G technology.
Further memoranda of understanding were also signed between India and the Universities of Surrey and Bristol. The signing ceremony on 21 June 2018 took place at India House on Aldwych in the presence of India’s minister of state for communications Manoj Sinha and High Commissioner to the UK Y. K. Sinha.
Speaking after the signing ceremony, Manoj Sinha said: "It is a win-win situation for both C-DOT and the three universities. The Government of India is fully committed to ensuring that we march in step with the world, and be among the leaders to accelerate the exploration, adoption, and full-scale deployment of 5G technology for the benefit of our citizens."
The focus will now be on setting up labs to explore new scenarios for 5G, promoting awareness and understanding of the technology, supporting the creation of 5G test beds, conducting field trials and developing solutions for an Indian context. Researchers in India and the UK will be able to share best practice, and C-DOT will benefit from King’s 5G skill set and testbed and trials experience.
In addition to drastically improving speeds for broadband users, 5G is expected to have a significant impact on areas such as transport, smart cities, health, manufacturing, railways, public safety and power.