InterDigital, IIT-Kanpur Partner on Wireless Research

InterDigital, a mobile and video technology research and development company, and the Indian Institute of Technology at Kanpur (IIT-K) have announced a bilateral research partnership to develop enabling technologies that impact future wireless standards.

Specifically, InterDigital will sponsor research and innovation at IIT-K that advances MIMO (Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output) systems to achieve the improved spectrum efficiency and network coverage required for 5G Advanced and 6G network deployments.

The research will support critical advancements enabling networks to scale and meet growing bandwidth and coverage demands of advanced applications like metaverse experiences, holographic communications, and digital twins.

The InterDigital and IIT-K partnership is aligned with the growing collaboration between India and the United States around 6G research and standardization. The partnership follows a joint statement from the two countries at the recent G20 Summit highlighting the importance of joint research and development in 6G technologies while acknowledging IIT-K as a key collaborator.

“The 6G capabilities we imagine today will be realized through cutting-edge research and strong collaboration, and we are happy to have a partner like IIT-K to dive deeper into critical technologies like MIMO that will enable our networks to support ever more connected experiences,” said Rajesh Pankaj, EVP and Chief Technology Officer, InterDigital. “We’re excited to support and work alongside the researchers at IIT-K.”

Professor Rohit Budhiraja, who will be leading the research effort at IIT-K added, "The partnership comes at an opportune moment when India has released the Bharat 6G Vision Document and has laid the foundation to becoming a world leader in 6G technology. The academia has a major role to play both in terms of advanced research leading to 6G standardization as well as developing technology components of the 6G."

“We are proud to formalize our partnership with IIT-K to explore and expand our expertise in the advanced technologies that will shape future networks,” said Milind Kulkarni, VP and Head of Wireless Labs, InterDigital. “This engagement adds fuel to our innovation and InterDigital’s commitment to collaborate with leading universities and institutions around the world.”

With a history of partnership in India spanning a decade, InterDigital recognizes India’s importance in the global 6G wireless research and standards ecosystem, citing the recent publication of the Bharat 6G Vision document and launch of India’s 6G research and development test bed. In 2021, InterDigital became a member of the Telecommunications Standards Development Society, India (TSDSI) to support the development of India’s wireless and video markets, the region’s upgrades to 5G and beyond, and migration to high-definition mobile video.

InterDigital develops mobile and video technologies that are at the core of devices, networks, and services worldwide. InterDigital has licenses and strategic relationships with many of the world’s leading technology companies. Founded in 1972, InterDigital is listed on Nasdaq.