The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has extended the free usage of indigenous 5G test bed for recognised startups and MSMEs from January 2023 to January 2024.
According to the Ministry of Communication, all 5G stakeholders, including academia, service providers, R&D institutions, government bodies, and equipment manufacturers, can use the 5G test bed for free. The 5G test bed is currently available at IIT Madras, IIT Delhi, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Kanpur, and IISc Bangalore, according to the ministry. The announcements come just weeks after the Indian government announced plans to establish 100 labs in engineering schools across the country to develop 5G mobile network applications. The initiative aimed to investigate numerous opportunities, business models, and employment opportunities.