Accelerating Indigenous R&D & Intellectual Property (IP), C-DOT steers Digital India

As the 15th Executive director of C-DoT, Rajkumar Upadhyay took over the reins of C-DoT which had already set the benchmark for indigenous manufacturing and IPR creation in the telecom sector in India.

Dr. Upadhyay took over C-DoT in (2020) when the transition into a Digital India was already happening, driven by an entirely new generation of technologies in communications, as a natural progression of evolution. In an exclusive interview with Voice & Data, Dr. Upadhyay shared his insights about his stint so far, the transformations that have happened, are underway and are in the making for the future. Excerpts from his chat with Editor, Gajendra Upadhyay.

At what stage was the Indian Telecom Sector when you took over as Executive Director of C-DoT

When I took over in, 2020, the sector was already reaping the benefits of high-speed 4G networks.

Telecom has always been one of the fastest-growing sectors of the Indian economy. In 2020, India ranked second in terms of the number of telecommunication subscriptions, internet subscribers, and app downloads globally. Moreover, India is also one of the largest consumer of data globally.

We have the highest data usage per smartphone, averaging 9.8GB per month.

Covid-19 dramatically increased the importance of communications the world over. We witnessed the challenges and adaptations in the way people were living and working.

Work from home became a new normal and the network during that period was heavily challenged to meet bandwidth requirements and Internet needs.

With the exponential increase in internet usage telecom network security also became a concern. And a challenge.

Over 95% of India’s telecom networks are built on the equipment of foreign vendors. That too from a few select vendors. There is limited access to the security design of these vendors.

There have been many global reports on network breaches. This has resulted in bans being imposed on some vendors. There are also geo-political reasons and emerging scenarios that accentuated the security concerns. Telecom networks are highly prone to spyware/malware emanating from the equipment itself or embedded in the software.

Keeping all of these in mind our government has aggressively pushed programs like ‘Make in India’ and ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ in various sectors including telecom. The govt announced multiple incentives for promoting R&D and manufacturing in India.

We are on the path of being self-reliant, and last financial year (2021-22) we also realized revenue of Rs 170 crores, which is the highest in the history of C-DOT for any year. Given our success in 4G, this is going to grow manifold.

Currently, we have over 30 projects under development/enhancement covering areas like telecom security, disaster management, Secured Quantum Communications, Artificial intelligence, computer vision, and many more.

While there were opportunities there were challenges as well in developing technologies that are compliant to international standards. C-DOT accepted the challenge and aligned its R&D endeavors towards the mission of indigenously developing telecom technologies and providing an alternative.

To name a few, we have developed a secure Unified communication system, such as SAMVAD -- which is an alternative to popular chat platforms; there is the C-DOT Video Conferencing tool, Covid Savdhan, a quarantine alert system; disaster alert management system in multiple regional languages and a complete 4G solution in partnership with TCS and Tejas. We have also developed some robust solutions critical for managing the security of telecom and IT networks.

You have spent almost your entire career in the telecom sector. How did your past experiences help in taking over the current projects and defining a new path for R&D?

I have spent almost 35 years in the government and yes most of it is in the Telecom sector. I am fortunate to have worked in the Department of Telecom dealing with policy and its implementation and in BSNL handling planning, operation, installation, IT, business development, material management, and heading a business unit.

This equipped me with a good understanding of each part of the technology value chain. And its impact on business. I also worked in the TRAI for three years as an Advisor handling Telecom and Broadcasting sectors.

This broadened my horizon for evaluating technology frontiers, and the impact of regulatory interventions on technology and gave me a multi-dimensional view of the sector. I was fortunate to have been associated with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) for almost 2 years handling security projects for the department of telecom. Here I came across various aspects of security required to be ensured in our networks from threat analysis to mitigation strategies.

And not to forget I started my career in DRDO as a scientist and worked there for four years. This gave me enormous exposure to R&D and managing large projects encompassing multiple disciplines. I was also, an additional DG of Prasar Bharti heading South India. This was another great learning to push technology for business and operational efficiency, revenue enhancements, and aligning manpower to organizational goals. On the academic side, I am trained both in technology and business from reputed institutes. Overall, I feel my varied professional, academic, and R&D experiences have contributed and helped me chart a new path for CDOT and work together with our brilliant teams.

Over the years how do you think the C-DoT focus on R&D has evolved — and where is it headed in future

C-DOT has now evolved into a full-fledged telecom R&D institution. CDOT complies with level-5 maturity of the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI Model). It has the capabilities to undertake large-scale state-of-the-art telecom technology development programs.

C-DOT has done and continues to do, tremendous work in the entire spectrum of telecommunications, right from conceptualizing a solution to its deployment in the network and in that process promoting the manufacturing of telecom equipment in the country as well as generating local Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).

During the initial years of C-DOT, it developed core switching solutions such as RAX (Rural Automatic Exchanges), which were later upgraded to MAX (Main Automatic Exchange). These products led to a telecom revolution in the country and telecom facilities reached the remotest parts of the country.

With the IP technology becoming cost-effective and easy to operate, existing BSNL exchanges were upgraded to next-generation network called the main automatic exchange (MAX-NG). Subsequently-DOT started focusing on Optical technologies and wireless technologies and developed various commercial grade optical and Wi-Fi solutions like GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Network) and Wi-Fi.

To accelerate development, we have changed our policy from developing alone to collaborative development with start-ups in the industry. We will jointly develop products/solutions and fund the startup/industry ecosystem wherever needed.

CDOT developed the ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) technology to step into the strategic needs of the country. It developed world-class secured indigenous telecom solutions for multiple strategic agencies.

Along with the push of the Government toward Aatmanirbhar Bharat, C-DOT accelerated its efforts. We developed 4G technology for the country. Other strategic efforts have also been initiated in the cyber security of telecommunication networks. We have state-of-the-art projects operational in this direction.

Currently we have over 30 projects under development/enhancement covering areas like telecom security, disaster management, Secured Quantum Communications, Artificial intelligence, computer vision, advanced switching and routing, Network Management, IoT- M2M,5G, etc.

With the solid support of the Government and our success in 4G, we are now moving confidently towards 5G development. We will have our own homegrown 5G soon. Initial work in the direction of 6G has also started. We are also developing routers, servers, switches, advanced Optical systems, AI applications, Security solutions, advanced applications, etc.

To accelerate development, we have changed our policy from developing alone to collaborative development with start-ups in the industry. We will jointly develop products/solutions and fund the startup/industry ecosystem wherever needed.

From the time you took over, what are some of the major projects you have steered which have the potential to reshape our country’s communications landscape?

The development of a completely indigenous 4G solution was a top priority for us. In this direction, we collaborated with the industry. C-DOT developed 4G core, Tejas developed the Radio system, and TCS as the lead consortium partner provided all other necessary software and integration know-how.

We successfully completed the Proof of Concept (POC) in a live, field environment in BSNL’s network. This is a historic achievement for us and soon this indigenously developed 4G network will be deployed by BSNL in its network in Pan India.

While 4G POC was going on, our team also started work on 5G. We have developed a 5G non-standalone (NSA) core so that BSNL is able to launch its 5G services very soon. We should have our first 5G RAN (Radio Access Network) by December 2022 in collaboration with VVDN and a startup –WiSig.

Apart from 4G/5G we have developed and delivered critical projects like the ITU-CAP (Common Alert Protocol) based Early Warning and Disaster Alert Management system. This has helped save many lives during cyclones and other natural disasters over the past two years in our country.

CDOT has also worked on developing the PM WANI (Prime Minister – Wireless Access Network Interface) platform aimed at the proliferation of Wi-Fi across rural India and Wi-Fi 6 solutions. CDOT has deployed multiple security solutions for strategic agencies and has gained significant success in developing cutting-edge secure quantum-communication-based solutions.

Our unified NMS (Network Management System) was created for BBNL’s BharatNet, which manages the entire network. It aggregates operational data from multiple technologies deployed in Bharatnet and provides real-time information up to the village level on a single dashboard.

We will be deploying our secured routers/switches in various strategic networks and government networks. All these solutions have a tremendous impact on our country’s socio-economic growth and security of the nation’s critical telecom infrastructure.

How has your organization addressed the need for newer skill sets in emerging areas of technology - and which areas are likely to be dominant over the next decade?

Telecommunication markets are highly growth-driven with new technologies emerging at a very fast pace. C-DOT takes it as a priority to update and address the need for newer skill sets of its employees on regular basis. C-DOT’s Knowledge Management Group (KMG) conducts regular training and programs for the development of multiple skill sets for all its employees on a regular basis.

As an organization we have also listed out technologies that will be the Future of Telecom (FoT).

We are in the process of setting up Centers of Excellence on these upcoming advanced telecom technologies. Besides these, C-DOT is associated with multiple telecom alliances and it routinely takes part in seminars and conferences.

We have also been collaborating with R&D Institutions, Industry, and Academia in India and abroad and have formally signed MOUs with different institutions for sharing of knowledge and know-how. We provide research scholarships in telecom and security to students of select institutes to develop R&D skills. We hope some of these students will join us.

C-DoT has a strong presence in the rollout of Smart Cities. What is happening in this field now and which are the most promising technologies likely to be widely adopted?

C-DOT’s state-of-the-art oneM2M compliant C-DOT Common Service Platform (CCSP) is a horizontal IoT/M2M platform and can help in the deployment of smart city solutions based on one M2M standards in the country.

This platform is built based on global and national standards.

This platform will provide a vendor lock-in-free, standardized service layer for smart city solutions and products. We are encouraging device and application providers to join hands with us in developing a standard integrated solution based on standards so that it can be deployed beyond borders too. C-DOT has made available its state-of-the-art IoT/M2M common service platform for integration, interoperability testing, and conformance to global standards. For this, we have formed a Centre of Innovation (COI) for IoT/M2M that assists startups/M2M providers in the development, integration, and testing of innovative smart solutions. The center is inviting industry partners to register for engagement and create end-to-end solution IoT/M2M solutions for smart cities.

This will create synergies among the startups and the M2M/IoT industry for capacity building in the area of oneM2M standards-based products and applications and will also bridge the gap between R&D and commercialization of M2M/IoT products based on oneM2M standards.

Around 30 startups have registered with us. We will support any startup in this area and provide funds wherever needed.

C-DoT has always worked closely with the industry across all verticals, what are the areas of partnership evolving now.

C-DOT now aims to expand its R&D program through collaboration with Startups and the industry. We are bringing more players under this umbrella for collaborative research and the development of advanced telecom products and solutions.

The main role of C-DOT will be as a facilitator in the development of products and solutions. To achieve this, CDOT has come up with a Collaborative Research Program for facilitating the development of telecom and associated technologies by collaborating with Industry, Academia, startups, etc.

Such partnerships will leverage the strengths and expertise of each party for developing telecom solutions that will reduce time to market and will pave way for the advancement of telecommunication in the country.

A recent example of such collaboration is the successful POC trial of C-DOT’s indigenous 4G solution in partnership with TCS and Tejas Networks in the BSNL network, which resulted in a commercial order.

A separate fund is being set aside, which shall be used for funding telecom product development programs and handholding startups who are at least at TRL-3 to scale up their innovation through partnership with C-DOT.

The development of a completely indigenous 4G solution was a top priority for us. C-DOT developed the 4G core, with Tejas and TCS as lead consortium partners. This is a historic achievement for us and soon this indigenously developed 4G network will be deployed by BSNL.

Startups seem to be a new area of focus for you. What is the framework for this?

As I said earlier we have set up a collaborative research program to work with startups. For early-stage startups (below TRL-3), we are setting up incubation centers at C-DOT Delhi and Bangalore. C-DOT will provide necessary support including funding for promoting innovations in telecom technology. These centers will provide end-to-end support including infrastructure, mentoring, guidance on IPR, knowledge management, and assist the startups in market access.

Do you think C-DoT has lived up to its legacy or is there much more to be done?

C-DOT has had an eventful journey in becoming the premier Telecom R&D Centre of the Government of India. Right from its inception, C-DOT has contributed to many technologies. C-DOT has indeed lived up to its legacy, and over the past few years, we have developed and deployed many successful projects in multiple and key areas of Switching, Optical, Telecom security, Wireless Solutions, Network Management, and Software Applications.

We are on the path of being self-reliant, and last financial year (2021-22) we also realized revenue of Rs 170 crores, which is the highest in the history of C-DOT for any year. Given our success in 4G, this is going to grow manifold. We will be drivers rather than followers in technology soon.

C-DOT’s commitment to the cause of nation-building continues with products of national and strategic importance. As per vision 2047, C-DOT aims to be a reputed global player in the telecom R&D ecosystem. We are taking adequate steps in identifying upcoming key areas in telecom and are forming Centers of Excellence for R&D in these areas. Adopting the latest R&D trends and a well-researched methodology and partnership with the industry would not only fill the research and development gaps in the country but give an impetus to IPR generation and contribute to telecom standards, opening up export opportunities.

Where are we as a Digital Nation today?

The Digital India program of the Government of India will transform India into a digitally empowered society -- focusing on digital literacy, digital resources, and collaborative digital platforms. The availability of digital services in local Indian languages and digital infrastructure is recognized as a core utility by every citizen. Telecommunications and digital presence have become the key indicator of the nation’s growing economy.

Currently, India is the world’s second-largest telecommunications market with a billion-plus subscriber base. A key pillar of India’s current economic recovery is technology-led growth and the government’s innovation-friendly policies.

By 2025, India’s digital sector value is targeted to cross USD 1 trillion. Today many critical sectors like health, education, power, agriculture, human capital development, governance etc. have been digitized and are offering e-services to the citizens of the country. For almost all our day-to-day tasks such as health, education, aadhar services, business and payments, banking, e-governance, etc. we are dependent on handheld devices and the Internet.

India’s flagship digital platform Unified Payments Interface (UPI) clocked over 6 billion transactions in July. During Covid-19 pandemic Arogya setu and CoWIN portal to mange COVID were developed in a record time. CoWIN helped run the Indian Covid-19 Vaccination program seamlessly and issued digital vaccine certificates.

In all of this, the security of our telecom network resources is of critical and paramount importance.

gajendrau@cybermedia.co.in