Nokia inks partnership to boost 6G research in India

Under the partnership, Nokia and IISc will work together in Nokia’s newly inaugurated 6G Lab in Bengaluru

Finnish vendor Nokia announced it is expanding its 6G commitment to India by partnering with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) to jointly research 6G technologies and 6G use cases, the former said in a release.

Under the partnership, Nokia and IISc will work together in Nokia’s newly inaugurated 6G Lab in Bengaluru, where both parties will pursue three core areas of research: 6G radio technologies, 6G architecture and the application of machine learning into the 6G air interface. Also, the collaboration will develop reference architectures, software frameworks and algorithms, with the main aim of contributing their joint research to the 6G technology and standards ecosystem.

While the nature of their research is global, Nokia and IISc said they will place special focus on 6G use cases that address areas of particular importance to India. Those use case include:

-Creating more sustainable and energy-efficient communications systems,

-Improving resiliency and reliability of networks for critical communications, and

-Using AI and developing “Network as Sensor” technologies to improve transportation safety, augment healthcare and increase access to education.

Through this initiative, Nokia and IISc plan to further India’s ‘Bharat 6G Vision,’ which aims to position India as a key global contributor to the design, development and implementation of 6G technology.

In October 2023, Nokia opened the 6G Lab at its Global R&D center in Bengaluru. The research facility aims to accelerate the development of fundamental technologies and innovative use cases underpinned by 6G technology as well as foster collaboration between Nokia and India’s academic community. The collaboration with IISc is the first such partnership to emerge from the lab.

Nishant Batra, chief strategy and technology officer at Nokia, said: “The importance of India on the global telecommunications stage cannot be overemphasized. We’re proud to work with the brightest minds in Indian science and academia to ensure 6G is a force multiplier for the Indian economy. Together we will help realize Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for India as a leader in 6G standardization, development and implementation. And by exploring 6G use cases specific to India, we will ensure that 6G addresses the unique needs of the subcontinent.”

Nordic vendor Ericsson and Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT Kharagpur) had recently announced a long-term cooperation for joint research in the areas of artificial intelligence (AI), compute and radio.

Under the terms of this collaboration, researchers from both organizations will collaborate towards developing novel AI and distributed compute technology towards 6G research.

In September 2023, Ericsson announced the launch of its “India 6G” program with the formation of an India 6G Research team in its Chennai R&D Center.

The vendor added that its India 6G team comprises senior research leaders and a team of experienced researchers across the fields of radio, networks, AI and cloud.