Swedish telecom giant, Ericsson, recently apprised its all new focused business strategy. One of the key points entailed in the release was to fully leverage the potential of 5G across its network worldwide. In lieu of the same, it has now signed a MoU with the country’s leading tech-education institutes, IIT Delhi for a joint roll-out of ‘5G for India’ program in the country.
As per the deal signed, Ericsson will establish a Centre of Excellence and Incubation Center equipped with a 5G test bed at IIT – Delhi. Post the establishment, the students at the institute would be able to carry out researches and track the development of 5G network in the country under the direction of Ericsson mentors. This partnership aims to drive the 5G ecosystem in India and will aid in the realization of the ‘Digital India’ initiative.
Talking about the same, Ramgopal Rao, Director of IIT Delhi said,
IIT Delhi has been committed to developing the latest technologies in close collaboration with industry. We are glad to be hosting the Ericsson Center of Excellence and Incubation Center, providing a big leap forward for 5G technologies ecosystem development in the country.
Presently, there is limited deployment of 5G globally. A majority of developed countries are in a race to diffuse the technology within their regions in order to amplify the pace of communication and infrastructure development. The presence of a center focused only on 5G evolution would position India amid the race, with the ambition of moving fast ahead.
The 5G for India program is a major step towards understanding the power of 5G technology and how it can help aid the Digital India initiative, including the development of smart cities. The program will focus on delivering research, innovation, and industrial pilots that use next-generation 5G networks as an enabler. The first series of test are scheduled to initiate by the second half of 2017.
Listing the further benefits of the center, Paolo Colella, Head of Region India at Ericsson said,
It will help initiate cross-industry research collaborations focused on the integration of ICT in industry processes, as well as products and services.
