The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) has signed an agreement with the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) Mandi and IIT Jammu to develop a "Wideband Spectrum-Sensor ASIC-Chip." This project, funded under the Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), aims to enhance spectrum utilisation by leveraging unused frequency bands, especially in rural India.
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Wideband Spectrum-Sensor ASIC-Chip Project
"The project aims to develop a reliable and implementation-friendly wideband spectrum sensing (WSS) algorithm to improve spectrum efficiency by leveraging spectrum holes to deliver broadband services in rural India. Spectrum sensing enables cognitive Radio users to adapt to the environment by detecting spectrum holes without causing interference to the primary network," The Ministry of Communications said on Monday, January 13, 2025.
The collaboration will focus on developing hardware and algorithms for wideband spectrum sensing beyond 2 GHz, improving spectrum efficiency and enabling cognitive radio networks to deliver broadband services with minimal interference. "Additionally, it will demonstrate a wideband cognitive radio module targeting the 6 GHz satellite band (5.925–7.125 GHz) for spectrum sensing and communication," the Communications Ministry said.
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Testing and Implementation Plans
The technology will be first tested using field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA) before moving to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chip. The project will also lead to creation of intellectual properties (IPs) for the wideband spectrum sensing technology which is the key component for the dynamic spectrum access, the official release said.
This project contributes to India's goals of improving broadband access and supporting the government's "Atmanirbhar Bharat", Make-in-India and India-Semiconductor missions. Raj Kumar Upadhyay, CEO of C-DOT, highlighted the importance of indigenously developed technologies in meeting the country's diverse needs.
