The Department of Telecom has offered the usage of 5G test bed free of cost to startups and MSMEs recognised by the government, up to January 2024, said an official release on Monday.
The release also said all 5G stakeholders, including industry, academia, service providers, research and development institutions, government bodiesm and equipment manufacturers, can utilise this facility at a very nominal rate.
The move will encourage the usage of the test bed and give a fillip to the development of indigenous technologies/products in line with the Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ vision, added the release. Several start-ups and companies are already using the test bed for testing their products and services.
In March 2018, in view of India’s specific requirements and to take a lead in 5G deployment, the Department of Telecommunications approved a financial grant for the multi-institute collaborative project to set up an ‘indigenous 5G test bed’ in India at a total cost of Rs 224 crore.
The eight collaborating institutes in the project were IIT Madras, IIT Delhi, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Bombay, IIT Kanpur, IISc Bangalore, Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research, and Centre of Excellence in Wireless Technology.
The indigenous 5G test bed was dedicated to the nation by Prime Minster Narendra Modi on May 17 last year.
“This test bed is providing the indigenous capability for testing and validation of 5G products being developed and manufactured by Indian startups, MSMEs, R&D, academia, and industry users,” the release said.
This has resulted in major cost efficiency and reduced design time due to which Indian 5G products are likely to become globally competitive, it added.
The development of the test bed has also resulted in many 5G technologies and IPs, which are available for technology transfer to industry players. This will facilitate the smooth and speedy deployment of 5G in India, said the release.
