India Hosts First TTDF Symposium to Boost Innovation in Telecom R&D

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), in collaboration with IIT Madras and Telecom Centres of Excellence (TCOE) India, kicked off the first-ever Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) Symposium 2025 at the IIT Madras Research Park in Chennai. The three-day event was inaugurated by Dr. Neeraj Mittal, Secretary (Telecom), and attended by over 500 participants including researchers, startups, faculty members, industry leaders, and senior government officials. The symposium aims to foster collaboration, accelerate innovation, and strengthen India’s telecom ecosystem through indigenous research and development.

TTDF is a flagship initiative launched by the DoT in October 2022 to promote homegrown telecom technologies, especially for rural and remote areas. The fund supports R&D efforts by academia, startups, MSMEs, and research institutions. So far, TTDF has approved over 120 projects with a total sanctioned funding of more than ₹500 crore, out of which ₹187 crore has already been disbursed. The programme received over 1,300 proposals across domains like 5G, 6G, AI/ML, quantum communication, and satellite technologies.

During the symposium, Dr. Mittal emphasized India’s opportunity to lead in telecom innovation and announced the development of a dedicated resource-sharing portal to promote better collaboration. He also urged stakeholders to provide feedback on streamlining administrative processes. Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, highlighted the strong support from the DoT and encouraged institutions to deliver high-impact outcomes in return. Gulzar Natarajan, Additional Secretary (Telecom), called the TTDF a strategic step to build sovereign telecom capabilities critical for India’s economy, security, and social development.

A major announcement at the symposium was the launch of a Multi-Core Fiber (MCF) Field Testing Facility, developed by IIT Madras in partnership with STL Technologies. The facility includes both underground and aerial installations and is open to academic and industry partners to test use cases and product compatibility in optical communication.

The event includes technical sessions, project showcases, and networking opportunities to boost collaboration in cutting-edge areas like massive MIMO, quantum encryption, AI-based IoT optimization, LEO satellite systems, and India-specific telecom solutions. TTDF also introduced new initiatives like the Testing and Certification Reimbursement Scheme and Quantum Standardization Labs, supporting compliance and security in telecom hardware.

The TTDF Symposium 2025 marks a significant step toward making India self-reliant in telecom technologies. By bringing together researchers, startups, and government agencies, the symposium aims to transform India into a global hub for telecom innovation through deep-tech development, IP creation, and industry-academia synergy.

Source: PIB