New Delhi: The Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC), the technical arm of the Department of Telecommunications, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi (IIIT-Delhi) to collaborate on joint studies, research, and technical contributions in advanced telecom technologies and global standardisation.

Signed on Wednesday at IIIT-Delhi, the MoU formalises cooperation on next-generation telecom research, including India-specific standards and test frameworks, future network technologies such as 6G, optical communication and non-terrestrial networks, as well as enhanced participation in ITU-T Study Groups through National Working Groups.

The agreement was signed by Rakesh Desai, DDG (Fixed Access), TEC, and Dr Abhjit Mitra, Assistant Professor, IIIT-Delhi, in the presence of IIIT-Delhi Director Prof Ranjan Bose and senior officials from TEC and the institute.

Key areas of collaboration include AI-based network optimisation and predictive maintenance, 5G/6G research, software-defined networking and network function virtualisation, free-space optical communication/Li-Fi and renewable-energy-driven efficiency improvements in telecom infrastructure.

TEC said the partnership would accelerate indigenous R&D and strengthen India's role in global bodies such as ITU and 3GPP, supporting the Atmanirbhar Bharat mission by enabling development of India-specific telecom standards and home-grown technologies.

TEC formulates technical standards and conformity requirements for telecom equipment and networks in India, while IIIT-Delhi is recognised for its research in advanced telecommunications, optical communication and emerging ICT domains.