31-07-2025
TSDSI, ATU ink pact for collaboration on 5G, 6G, AI, rural broadband standards
NEW DELHI: The
Telecommunications Standards Development Society
, India (
TSDSI
) said on Wednesday that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the
Africa Telecommunications Union
(
ATU
) for technical collaboration on global standards for
5G
, 6G,
artificial intelligence
(
AI
), the Internet of Things (IoT), and rural broadband.
'It is poised to strengthen the Global South's voice in international standards bodies such as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and to address the long-standing "standardisation gap" that has limited the effective participation of developing countries,' the TSDSI said in a joint statement.
Historically, global standardisation has been steered predominantly by advanced economies, the Indian telecom standards body said, adding that the pact with the ATU aims to enable Africa and India to co-develop technical contributions as per their domestic markets.
TSDSI has already made significant contributions, including the 5Gi specification, aimed at improving rural 5G coverage. The ATU, as the ITU regional telecommunications body for Africa and the ICT arm of the African Union, has similarly coordinated common African positions at the ITU.
ATU Secretary General John Omo said, 'Africa and India share not only development aspirations but also an urgent need to be more meaningfully represented in the global standards-setting scene. This MoU offers us a necessary opportunity to share technical leadership in areas that can benefit both Africa and India.'
'The inclusion of needs such as coverage, ubiquitous connectivity, sustainability and AI assisted) networks and communication in the IMT2030 Framework, is indicative of how telecom technologies are expected to be developed and deployed for digital public good, especially in rural and remote areas,' said AK Mittal, director-general, TSDSI.
Mittal said that the collaboration between TSDSI and ATU is a 'natural alliance' which will help discover common requirements and interests of end-users, telecom service providers and policy makers from India and Africa, strengthening their voice on the global standards arena.
With 5G-Advanced and 6G discussions already underway in standardisation forums, the TSDSI–ATU alliance is well-positioned to influence the design of next-generation networks.
In this regard, both TSDSI and ATU intend to collaborate and build synergies in telecoms and ICT standardisation, radiocommunication, and the inclusion of regional requirements into the global standards development processes.
The pact also provides a framework for coordination on global standards, radio, and ICT development forums, as well as the implementation of joint capacity-building initiatives in these areas.
