The Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IITK) has announced a bilateral research partnership to develop 6G enabling technologies that impact future wireless standards with InterDigital, Inc. (Nasdaq: IDCC), a mobile and video technology research and development company. As part of the partnership, InterDigital will sponsor research and innovation at IIT-K in advancing Extreme MIMO (Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output) systems to achieve higher spectrum efficiency and larger network coverage required for 6G network deployments. These advancements are critical for enabling 6G networks to scale and meet increased bandwidth and coverage demands of advanced applications such as metaverse, holographic communications, and digital twins.

Prof. S Ganesh, Officiating Director, IIT Kanpur said, "The partnership comes at an opportune moment when India has released the Bharat 6G Vision Document and has laid the foundation to becoming a world leader in 6G technology and has launched the 6G R&D Test Bed. The academia has a major role to play both in terms of advanced research leading to 6G standardization as well as developing technology components of the 6G."

This partnership is aligned with the growing collaboration between India and the United States around 6G research and standardization and follows a joint statement between the two countries at the recently-concluded G20 summit. The statement highlights the importance of joint research and development in 6G technologies and also acknowledges IIT Kanpur as a key collaborator.   

“We are proud to formalize our partnership with IIT-K to explore and expand our expertise in the advanced technologies that will define our 6G future,” said Milind Kulkarni, VP and Head of Wireless Labs, InterDigital. “Collaboration adds fuel to our innovation and InterDigital’s commitment to collaborating with world-leading universities and institutions across India will positively impact our shared contributions to wireless standards bodies like 3GPP and TSDSI.”

InterDigital maintains a long heritage of technology innovation and collaboration and recognizes India’s leadership and significance in the global 6G wireless research and standards ecosystem. Most recently, India has displayed its influential contributions to global wireless evolution through the publication of the Bharat 6G Vision document, the launch of India’s 6G research and development test bed, and the visionary 6G standards being collaborated upon by Telecommunications Standards Development Society, India (TSDI) and other global standards organizations.

In addition to leading 6G road mapping efforts around the globe, InterDigital has a history of partnership in India spanning a decade, including collaborative research on cellular modem and IoT design centers. In 2021, InterDigital became a member of TSDSI to support the development of India’s wireless and video markets, the region’s upgrades to 5G and beyond, and migration to high-definition mobile video.