With the spectrum auctions in March and the race to 5G intensifying between the telecom operators, the infrastructure environment in India and across the world is changing rapidly. Infra companies like Ericsson are beginning testing of the 5G network devices and the same goes for companies like Samsung and Huawei. However, in a new interesting development, IIT Hyderabad has developed a narrowband Internet-of-Things chipset, whose designing has been done by Cyient. This 5G massive machine type technology will enable long battery life device up to 10 years and will work well with low bit-rate IoT applications.
Narrowband 5G Chipset Technology
IIT Hyderabad has been the epicentre of 5G research and standards development. As per an ET Telecom report, professor Kiran Kuchi of the electrical engineering department said that cell phone technology has helped people in connecting with the internet. This chipset allows machines to connect to the internet. It is a game-changing technology with applications spanning several industries such as utility (water, gas, electricity), asset tracking that is location tracking for movement of goods, digital healthcare applications and much more. As per the professor, the narrowband 5G network technology and chipset will enable smart meters, machine-to-machine connectivity, and a lot of other sensor-based devices. WiSig Networks is another startup, which has its roots in IIT Hyderabad and is leading the commercial aspects of this project. The chipset comes with support for 3GPP Rel-13/14 and is compliant with the NB-IoT modem with integrated baseband and radio. It is also embedded with an application processor and GPS functionality which will help it in tracking location among other things.
Boost Under Atmanirbhar Bharat
It is worth noting that the 5G technology being developed in IIT-H is indigenous in terms of both hardware and software. Like we previously noted, the institute is also involved in the development of 5G standards. The new NB-IoT is known as Koala. The director of the institute, Prof B S Murty chimed in saying that this development fulfils the promise of Atmanirbhar Bharat with these technologies being developed in India. Also, Cyient’s contribution is noteworthy in developing this chipset. The DoT sponsored project to give a boost to 5G network technology is finding cadence in the campus of IIT Hyderabad and as a result, a lot of startups have found heat in the niche.
