The Indian Railways Institute of Signal Engineering and Telecommunications (IRISET) under the Ministry of Railways, and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish the India 5G Testbed. The Indigenous 5G Solution and Test Bed has been developed jointly by IIT Kanpur, Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research (SAMEER) under MeitY, IIT Bombay, Center of Excellence in Wireless Technology (CEWiT) a society of IIT Madras and IIT Madras as part of the Indigenous 5G Testbed project funded by Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to a consortium of 8 institutes. This state-of-the-art testbed will be located at IRISET in Secunderabad and is dedicated to the test and development of 5G use cases for the Indian Railways.
The MoU signing ceremony was attended by key officials and representatives from both the organizations, underscoring their commitment to advancing the nation's Railway infrastructure and technological capabilities. With this collaboration, the Indian Railways aims to leverage the potential of 5G technology to enhance its operational efficiency, passenger experience and overall safety.
The India 5G Testbed will serve as a cutting-edge facility to conduct comprehensive trials of 5G-enabled applications tailored specifically for Railway operations. By simulating real-world scenarios, researchers and industry experts will explore innovative solutions to modernize various aspects of Railway communication and services.
This collaborative effort between IRISET, the Ministry of Railways, and IIT Madras signifies the government's dedication to fostering technological innovation and will encourage students, faculty and scientists for research in area of 5G communications and development of applications. The MoU between IRISET and IIT-Madras aims to accelerate the indigenisation efforts of Indian Railways for achieving ‘Atmanirbharta’ in the field of communications and provide a testing facility for Indian Railways. The partnership is expected to create new avenues for collaboration between academia and industry, nurturing talent and expertise in the field of 5G technology.
The MoU was signed at IRISET in the presence of Shri Sudhir Kumar, Director General and faculty members of IRISET and Professor Manu Santhanam Dean, IC & SR, IIT, Madras and faculty members of IIT.
