C-DOT Should Drive Global Adoption of ‘Made in India’ Telecom Technologies, Says Scindia, Emphasising India’s Growing Digital Capabilities

Union Minister for Communications and Development of North Eastern Region Jyotiraditya M Scindia on Tuesday urged the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) to take India's indigenous telecom technologies to global markets and accelerate the transition from research and development to commercially viable products.

Speaking at C-DOT's 43rd Foundation Day, the minister said the state-run telecom research organisation must develop technologies that are affordable, reliable, scalable and globally competitive as India seeks to strengthen its position in emerging areas such as 6G, artificial intelligence, quantum technology and cybersecurity.

"We must create technologies that are affordable, dependable, scalable, and globally competitive, providing that intellectual foundation for India to move from the 'Made in India' product to 'Made in India, but made for the world'," he said.

The minister said C-DOT's focus should extend beyond developing technology for domestic use and include building products that can compete in international markets.

According to him, India had moved from lagging behind the world in 4G to keeping pace with global developments in 5G and was now in a position to aspire to lead in 6G.

Highlighting C-DOT's indigenous 4G technology stack, he said India had joined a select group of countries capable of developing its own 4G stack. The technology has been deployed across around 1 lakh towers and is serving customers across the country, he said.

Moreover, the minister credited C-DOT engineers with developing the indigenous technology and called on the organisation to build on that achievement by advancing its 5G capabilities and contributing to the development of 6G standards.

Scindia said telecom networks of the future would need to be secure, trusted, resilient and intelligent, rather than merely provide connectivity.

Scindia said C-DOT has around 1,565 employees, with more than half below the age of 40, describing its young workforce as an advantage as India seeks to build capabilities in next-generation technologies.

As India works towards its goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047, Scindia said C-DOT would need to combine "courage, disruption, ownership and tenacity" to emerge as a global technology force.

"Research requires endurance. Engineering requires repeated refinement and global leadership requires sustained cooperation and contribution," he said.