Ericsson launches ‘India 6G’ initiative, forms research team to develop telecom solutions

Some key projects on the team’s agenda include Channel Modelling and Hybrid Beamforming, Low-energy Networks, Cloud Evolution and Sustainable Computing, Trustworthy AI Algorithms, Autonomous Agents for Intent Management Functions, Integrated Sensing and Communication Functions for Man-Machine Continuum, and Compute Offload to Edge-Computing Cloud, among others.

Ericsson has also partnered with prestigious institutes in India, focusing on Radio, AI and Cloud research. One of the significant collaborations is a five-year partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras' (IIT Madras) Centre for Responsible AI (CeRAI). The contract was signed in September 2023. This interdisciplinary research centre specialises in fundamental and applied research in Responsible AI, aligning with Ericsson’s vision of autonomously driven 6G networks powered by AI algorithms. Ericsson further said that it is actively exploring additional partnerships with premier engineering institutes in India to further its 6G-related research initiatives.

Magnus Frodigh, Head of Research at Ericsson, emphasised the programme’s significance saying, “By establishing a dedicated 6G research team for in-country research, contextual to India’s need and collaborating with the world-class research programs across international research labs, we look forward to incorporating the needs of India into the mainstream of telecommunication technology evolution.”

As a global 5G leader, Ericsson currently supports 155 live 5G networks across 66 countries worldwide. Having been a part of Indian networking since 1903, Ericsson says that its goal is to advance India’s communication technology which can be reinforced by the establishment of its 6G Research programme. Ericsson further noted that it aims to play a pivotal role in positioning India at the forefront of future communication technology.