Govt Turns To Startups, Academia To Generate Telecom IPRs

The Centre is reportedly turning to startups and academic institutions to provide intellectual property rights (IPRs) in the telecommunications sector, especially next-generation technologies like quantum communications, artificial intelligence and machine learning.

In line with its plans to create IPRs and build locally designed products, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is also pushing global firms like Nokia, Ericsson, Cisco and Qualcomm to work with academic institutions in India on new technologies.

The government is eyeing a 3% share each in the global telecom IPRs in next-gen essential patents and the global telecom equipment market by 2027, ET reported, citing DoT officials familiar with the matter.

The indigenously developed 4G/5G stake is already being used by BSNL and it will be exported to other countries in the future, an official added.

The government is expected to lend support to promising projects through the Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) scheme, which was launched in 2022 to encourage domestic research and development (R&D) in the telecom sector.

This comes at a time when India seeks to become the world’s third-largest economy and a developed nation by 2047, and a self-sufficient telecom sector is crucial to meeting these targets.

Apart from funding domestic companies seeking fundraise for localised R&D activities in the telecom sector, the government has also been encouraging industry-academia tie-ups as part of its broader plans to become self-reliant.

Global firms, including Ericsson and Qualcomm, have already announced partnerships with Indian academic institutions. For instance, Ericsson has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with IIT-Kharagpur to conduct joint research in AI and development of 6G networks, the company said in a statement.

India boasts the third-largest startup ecosystem globally, with over 1 lakh startups and 115 unicorns. As per Inc42’s ‘Indian Tech Startup Funding Report 2023’, the share of seed funds in Indian startup funding has improved in recent years, but a continued downward trend in funding in growth and early-stage deals is a cause for concern.

As part of its plan to create domestic tech giants, the government has also kick-started a Shark Tank-style initiative to help startups raise funding from VC firms. 

In February, the DoT organised a meeting introducing startups to VCs, where over two dozen startups working on next-gen technologies such as 5G-enabled AI drones, satellite-based navigation system and Internet of Things among others, made pitches to VCs from the UK and Uganda, besides India.