STL to test futuristic technologies for 5G, 6G, enterprise in DoT test bed

The DoT has established and funded the AOC project in 19 Work Packages (WP) to drive development of key technologies needed for Long-haul, Metro, Access, Residential, Enterprise, 5G/6G, etc.

STL, an optical and digital solutions company, , today concluded the Workshop on Advances in Optical Communications meeting organised by IIT Madras and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and formally announced, that it is participating and contributing to the Advanced Optical Communications (AOC) Test Bed project, an initiative by the DoT to drive innovation and collaboration in the next-generation communications technology. This AOC workshop saw STL highlighting the role of IP-backed innovation and standards in the global and Indian context.

In accordance with STL, it has 30 years of expertise in the Optical domain and is focused on cutting-edge R&D to develop futuristic, industry-first solutions. The company has made two world-leading innovations recently. It became the second company in the world to develop its slimmest fibre yet - 180 micron. The company also launched India’s first Multicore fibre at India Mobile Congress in October 2022. This test-bed collaboration is another step in the same direction.

The DoT has established and funded the AOC project in 19 Work Packages (WP) to drive development of key technologies needed for Long-haul, Metro, Access, Residential, Enterprise, 5G/6G, etc. The project will be completed in 3 years under Make in India initiative by 13+ consortium members. These include IIT-Madras, IIT-Delhi, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi, and other industry partners.

STL is leading Work Package 4 and will provide optical connectivity for Underground and Aerial applications in the IIT-Madras campus, both in terms of optical fibre cables and their deployment in accordance with Indian standards and context.  STL will undertake following inititaitives in this project:

• Product design, route planning, outside plant design - The company will also build standards-compliant infrastructure in real world deployment conditions
• Deploy its marquee Multicore Fibre - STL will showcase some key use cases by evaluating its transmission performance with advanced technologies in on-field conditions
• Sturdy armored cable design for underground conditions and it's signature ADSS (All-dielectric Self-supporting) cable for aerial deployments - ADSS is a sophisticated cable design that combines just the precise amount of tensile strength and a predictable breakpoint to make the cable exceptionally safe and accident-proof

Speaking about the AOC project, Dr Badri Gomatam, Group CTO, STL, said: “India has the capability to lead from the front in R&D and technology.  Over the past few years, India has been working to pioneer homegrown 5G, 6G and Optical Fibre solutions, and AOC is another positive step towards the future. This offers a great opportunity for us to work collaboratively and leverage our optical capabilities and innovations, like our recently developed Multicore Fibre, to develop new technologies and use cases for India’s digital future.”