India's homegrown 5G innovation paves way for 6G
HYDERABAD: India's homegrown 5G innovation has gone global. At the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) meeting held in Prague, a global consortium backed the extension of India's BPSK uplink waveform, paving the way for 6G.
First developed at IIT Hyderabad (IIT-H) in 2014, the waveform aims to support next-gen, uplink-heavy applications like HD video, XR and on-device AI, while laying the groundwork for 6G.
Led by Prof Kiran Kuchi of IIT-H and supported by WiSig Networks, the innovation has journeyed from a single-lab idea to a global 5G standard (Release 17). Today, it is used by operators and vendors worldwide, thanks to support from tech giants—Apple, Qualcomm, Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung, MediaTek, DOCOMO, AT&T, Reliance Jio, Thales—and national bodies including DoT, MeitY, DST and TSDSI.
'This milestone signals India's arrival in global telecom leadership,' said Prof Kuchi.
IIT Hyderabad Director Prof BS Murty noted, 'Our research continues to push boundaries, with 6G efforts already underway through technologies like OTFDM and Structural MIMO.'
As the 6G era dawns, IIT-H and WiSig Networks are already advancing technologies such as the OTFDM waveform and Structural MIMO within the newly approved 6G Study Item.
A WiSig release said, 'Together with Indian and global partners, we will continue to imagine, invent and deliver the next generation of communication technologies.'
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