C-DOT is shifting focus to emerging telecom, cybersecurity technologies: C-DOT CEO & Chairman
New Delhi, August 11
Centre for Development of Telematics is shifting its focus to emerging telecom and cybersecurity technologies as India's telecom sector evolves with greater competition, privatisation and new players, said Dr Rajkumar Upadhyay, CEO & Chairman, C-DOT.
Speaking to ANI, Rajkumar Upadhyay, CEO & Chairman, Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) noted, C-DOT has completed nearly four decades of its journey since its establishment in 1984. He further added, at the time of its inception, the organisation was tasked with developing a digital exchange within 36 months with a budget of Rs 36 crore.
"It delivered its promise, and those rural telephones brought the rural revolution in the country, the PCO revolution," he said.
Noting C-DOT's indigenous technology development has helped bring down the cost of telecom technologies that India previously imported by providing domestic alternatives, he stressed, the telecom sector has since undergone significant changes, with increased competition, privatisation, the entry of new players and the exit of some established companies.
"Now times have changed, a lot of competition is there, privatisation is happening, new players have emerged, and a lot of established players have disappeared...," he said adding C-DOT is now focusing on developing technologies in emerging telecom and cybersecurity areas.
"We are now focusing on the current telecom and cyber technologies for the country... We have five verticals or the five centres of Excellence which we are focusing...," he said.
He said we use artificial intelligence for our own telecom system everywhere. (2:32) What AI can help us in terms of bringing efficiency, in terms of optimization, in terms of energy saving, in terms of bringing better productivity. (2:42) Apart from that we do AI primarily for solving the day to day problems of cyber frauds, other kind of frauds.
He further stressed the need for India to develop its own indigenous wireless systems, citing the changing geopolitical environment and the growing role of cyberspace in modern conflicts.
"We need our own indigenous wireless system. Given the geopolitical situation around the world, wars are being fought not only through weapons but also in cyberspace. Therefore, the government told us to develop our own 4G system," he said.
On 6G, Upadhyay said C-DOT is working on the technology as global standards are yet to be finalised. Once the standards are set, the organisation plans to develop both prototype and carrier-grade systems in line with global developments.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Good to see C-DOT evolving with the times. The focus on cybersecurity is particularly important - with all the digital payments and online banking we do now, we need robust indigenous systems. But I hope they also focus on making these technologies accessible to smaller telecom operators, not just the big players.
Impressive track record indeed. The 36 crore budget and 36 month deadline for the digital exchange is quite a story. Looking forward to seeing how their 4G and 6G developments pan out. India's telecom sector has come a long way from the days of waiting for PCO calls.
The geopolitical angle is spot on. We can't rely on foreign technology for something as critical as telecommunications. Remember the 2G scam era? That's what happens when we depend on imported tech and opaque deals. C-DOT's push for indigenous 4G/5G and cybersecurity is the need of the hour. Better late than never!
Interesting to see the emphasis on AI for telecom optimization and fraud detection. Cyber fraud is a huge issue in India right now - I've seen family members almost fall for these scams. If C-DOT's AI can help prevent that, it's a win for the common citizen.
On paper, all good things. But where's the accountability? C-DOT has been around for 40 years, yet we still import most of our telecom hardware. I want to see concrete outcomes, not just announcements. The 4G system they were asked to develop - is it in use anywhere? Give us specifics, not just press conferences.
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