What happened
The Ministry of Communications has approved a three-year project under the Telecom Technology Development Fund of Digital Bharat Nidhi to establish a 6G Terahertz testbed at SAMEER, Kolkata. The project matters because it supports India’s research capacity in next-generation telecom technology and gives a test platform for future 6G systems.
The project will be implemented by SAMEER with three consortium partners: Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, and Indian Institute of Technology Patna. The release also states that a high data rate line-of-sight link was demonstrated at India Mobile Congress 2025, which signals a proof-of-concept stage rather than a purely theoretical project.
Background and earlier position
SAMEER is an autonomous research and development body under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. A terahertz testbed is important in telecom research because terahertz frequencies are often discussed as a possible enabler of ultra-high-speed short-range communication for future networks.
Publicly funded testbeds are useful because they help researchers study hardware, propagation, and system design before commercial deployment. They also create a bridge between academic research and applied engineering.
Related current affairs
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- Agreement signed for implementation of Amended BharatNet Program in Chhattisgarh under State-led model
- India’s participation in ITU IMT-2030 framework and support for international 6G standardisation through TDIP
- Bharat 6G Alliance (B6GA) expands; spectrum working group submits 6G spectrum roadmap
- DoT signs MoU with TSDSI under TDIP scheme to strengthen India’s telecom standards ecosystem for 6G