India to get Centre of Excellence in quantum and 6G technologies

New Delhi, September 20 (IANS): In an effort to bolster India’s position in the sphere of quantum and 6G technologies, the Telecom Centre of Excellence (TCOE) India and Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) in Karnataka have joined hands to establish a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in quantum technology and related areas.

The centre, headquartered at VTU-Visvesvaraya Research and Innovation Foundation (VRIF) Bangalore, aims to accelerate India’s progress across these key sectors and is part of the 100-day programme, according to the Ministry of Communications.

The CoE is designed on a hub-and-spoke model for innovation with VTU-VRIF and TCOE India serving as the central hub.

According to the government, leveraging the intellectual and infrastructural strengths of VTU’s 228 affiliated colleges, the CoE will act as a key facilitator in research and development.

Through this model, the CoE will streamline cutting-edge research, foster collaboration, and rapidly scale innovations across Quantum and associated 5G/6G Technologies.

The hub will have vertical focussed innovation groups and get the best experts among the affiliated colleges, said the ministry.

The centre will enhance synergy among key organisations working in telecom standardisation such as Telecom Engineering Centre (TEC) Bharat 6G Alliance, TSDSI, Academic Network and the startup ecosystem.

It will empower over 400,000 students, more than 2,000 PhDs, and numerous researchers across VTU’s network to streamline R&D and drive the commercialisation of ground-breaking innovations.

According to Ajai Chowdhury, Chairman, Mission Governing Board, National Quantum Mission, there are about 600 scientists and 50 startups working in quantum technology in the country.

The country launched the National Quantum Mission in April 2023 to build capabilities in quantum-related science and technology.

“As we started to work, we looked at how many scientists and PIs are working in this field and found that India had around 600 scientists and 40 to 50 start-ups in quantum technology,” Chowdhury said last month. He added that the country is doing “tremendous amounts of work” in the sector, India to get Centre of Excellence in quantum and 6G technologies | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com

Read More........→September 20, 2024

Nokia, NASA to install 4G on the Moon

Finnish multinational telecommunications, information technology, and consumer electronics company Nokia announced its expansion into a new market on Monday, winning a deal to install the first cellular network on the Moon.

The Finnish equipment manufacturer said it was selected by NASA to deploy an “ultra-compact, low-power, space-hardened” wireless 4G network on the lunar surface, as part of the US space agency’s plan to establish a long-term human presence on the Moon by 2030, according to a report by AFP.

The $14.1 million contracts, awarded to Nokia’s US subsidiary, is part of NASA’s Artemis program which aims to send the first woman, and next man, to the moon by 2024.

The astronauts will begin carrying out detailed experiments and explorations which the agency hopes will help it develop its first human mission to Mars.

Nokia’s network equipment will be installed remotely on the Moon’s surface using a lunar hopper built by Intuitive Machines in late 2022, Nokia said.

“The network will self-configure upon deployment,” Nokia said in a statement, adding that the wireless technology will allow for “vital command and control functions, remote control of lunar rovers, real-time navigation and streaming of high definition video.”

The 4G equipment can be updated to a super-fast 5G network in the future, Nokia said.

In all, NASA announced last week it would distribute $370 million to 14 companies to supply “Tipping Point” technologies for its mission, which include robotics and new methods of harvesting the resources required for living on the moon, such as oxygen and energy sources.

Among them, Elon Musk’s SpaceX received $53.2 million for a demonstration of the transferring of ten metric tons of liquid oxygen between tanks on a starship vehicle, NASA said.Source: AFP Source: https://www.daily-bangladesh.com

Read More........→December 29, 2020