Gandhinagar: National Telecommunications Institute for Policy Research, Innovation and Training (NTIPRIT), under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in Ghaziabad recently hosted a two-day workshop on “5G Use Case Labs: Awareness and Pre-Commissioning Readiness” at IIT Gandhinagar. This significant event was inaugurated by Ms. Mona Khandhar, Principal Secretary of the Department of Science & Technology, Government of Gujarat.  More than 100 participants from 18 institutions in the Western region actively participated in the workshop

The workshop aimed to nurture innovation in 5G technology use cases, particularly focusing on the establishment of a hundred 5G Use Case Labs across India, funded by the DoT. Alongside IIT Gandhinagar, these labs will be established in 18 institutions of the Western Region. Spearheaded by the Standards-R&D-Innovation (SRI) division at DoT headquarters, the policy, implementation, and capacity-building aspects related to these labs are being meticulously managed to ensure timely installation and effective utilization by faculty, students, and start-up communities. These labs are part of the 100 5G Labs being established across the country, announced during the India Mobile Congress held in October last year.

During her address, Ms. Mona Khandhar underscored the importance of developing use cases for optimal utilization of 5G networks and urged for the swift rollout of the 100 5G Labs. She emphasized the need for enhanced coordination among academic institutions to leverage these labs effectively, while commending the DoT for its proactive initiative in their establishment. Professor Amit Prashant, Dean of Research and Development at IIT Gandhinagar, emphasized the necessity of innovation and lauded this initiative for its potential societal impact. Additionally, Shri Robert Ravi, Deputy Director General (SRI) at DoT, and Shri Atul Sinha, Deputy Director General at NTIPRIT also shared their insights with the participants

Throughout the workshop, various potential use cases of 5G were presented by startups and industry representatives such as M/s RJIO, M/s Elena Geo Systems, M/s CEQU Labs, M/s QPiAI India Pvt Limited, and M/s Finnara Technologies Pvt Limited, spanning sectors including enterprises, education, agriculture, health, and e-commerce. Deliberations were held among faculty members from IIT Gandhinagar, engineering colleges of the Western Region, industry representatives, researchers, students, and DoT officers.

The event culminated in a panel discussion featuring Shri Ajatshatru Somani, Additional Director General Telecom Gujarat LSA; Shri Atul Sinha, Deputy Director General at NTIPRIT; Shri Robert Ravi, Deputy Director General (SRI) at DoT; Professor Sameer Kulkarni from IIT Gandhinagar; Shri Sanjay, General Manager at TCIL; and Shri Rajesh Gupta, Deputy Director General (Wireless Access) at NTIPRIT.