CHENNAI: Connectivity will decide the progress of the 21st century, declared Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as he inaugurated the country’s first 5G testbed that was developed as a multi-institute collaborative project led by IIT Madras. The result of four years of work by eight eminent institutes IIT Delhi, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Bombay, IIT Kanpur, IISc Bangalore, Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering & Research (SAMEER) and Centre of Excellence in Wireless Technology (CEWiT) — pooling in some of their best resources. While it is a huge step forward in developing indigenous 5G teleconnectivity, we’re just about getting started on its many implications in the arena of agriculture, health, education, infrastructure, and logistics.
The benefits of 5G networks extend far beyond the calling and data services, begins professor Bhaskar Ramamurthi, former head of IIT Madras and head of the project. “In 4G, everyone bought a phone in the market, connected to the network and used it. Or at most, you bought a WiFi dongle. But in 5G, there are going to be billions of other devices — meters, sensors, robots, and vehicles. There’ll be custom-made phone-like devices that will be connected to these. And so, the testbed is a happy hunting ground for start-ups,” he says.
Looking at the future
Where industries and start-up brands were dependent on resources abroad to test and validate their products for installation in 5G network, this testbed offers a much-needed solution right here in the country. Soon, the facility will be available in five different locations, making it even more accessible. What this testbed provides is an end-to-end, entirely indigenously developed 5G network. “There are two components here. One is what is called the 5G Core Network, which is entirely software that runs on servers. Then, there are the radio wave stations — this has been developed in two frequency bands, which are important for 5G. We did not develop the handset (phone) but for testing purposes, we have what is called a reference design; we have a box that acts as a phone,” he details.
“Already many start-ups are developing use cases in all kinds of areas like agriculture and such. Some could be something as simple as an app running on a phone. The other end is robotic surgery devices or a device you connect to a drone or a car. If anyone wants to develop such devices, connect it to the 5G network and monitor movement or control the grow-on or collect data, they need to test these devices. No telecom operator would allow you to connect it to their network unless it’s tested and validated. You need a testbed to test it out fully, figure out the problems, fix them and only then go to an operator. This testbed enables all these tests,” he elaborates.
The project was announced in 2018, with a great amount of foresight. “Of course, 5G network connected to these kinds of devices is not yet a reality even abroad; people have started only with phones. It will take another two years. So, start-ups are still in the process but we know of a number of start-ups that are working on such products,” he points out.
Projects galore
This is one of the many research and innovation projects currently underway at IIT-Madras and many of them work on the basis of ‘open innovation’. “The industry today pursues something called open innovation because they have all realised that new ideas are complicated and won’t come out from closed doors. It’s better to throw it open and participate with others; once there is an interesting idea, a marketable version of it can be done in a secret fashion. Also, everyone has realised that the rich pickings now are coming only from colleges. So, in academic institutions, all innovations are open. This testbed also could not have been built by any IIT by itself,” he reasons.
IIT Madras still holds its place in the forefront of research and innovation in India. It’s a result of years of work that has gone into creating the infrastructure for active work; chief among which is industrial collaborations. “Way back in the 70s, we went about seeking collaborations with industries very aggressively. It was initiated even by the German who started the institution. There was no dean at that time but there was a professor in charge of the Centre for Industrial Consulting and Sponsored Research (ICSR). This is something unique to IIT Madras.
Because of this, we’ve had major contributions to the industry from the 70s. The replacement from wood to the concrete design of railway sleepers was decided by the Railways, but its design and purchase from vendors were handled by IIT Madras in the 70s. When Doordarshan decided all their major TV station would be free-standing concrete towers, the towers were designed by us. Before that, the free-standing towers of that height were only in Germany. So, first, it started with Civil Engineering and later included Mechanical and Electrical,” he recounts.
Bhaskar himself was involved in the wireless local loop that the institute built and commercialised in 1995, he notes, adding that they have a tradition of encouraging faculty to work with industries. Even today, there are hundreds of projects underway at the institution — from rockets to hyperlook to processor chips to waste-energy projects. It continues to offer a thriving ecosystem for start-ups as well.