IIT Hyderabad and WiSig Network’s 5G Innovations Attain Mainstream Paving the Way for 6G at 3GPP Meetings at Prague

• RAN #108, Prague (Jun 2025): Consortium backs India’s π/2-BPSK extension for stronger 5G coverage and to uplink-heavy apps (HD video, XR, on-device AI) while seeding 6G.
• From Lab to Global Standard: Developed at IIT Hyderabad in 2014 → National program → 3GPP 5G Rel-17 feature now used by operators and vendors worldwide.
• Team India + Global Allies: Led by Prof. Kiran Kuchi, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Hyderabad, with support from Qualcomm, Apple, Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung, MediaTek, DOCOMO, AT&T, Reliance Jio, Thales, and others—backed by DoT, MeitY, DST, and TSDSI.
• Next Stop 6G: IITH & WiSig are already advancing OTFDM and Structural MIMO tech in the new 6G Study Item to power future networks and devices.

At 3GPP TSG RAN #108 in Prague, a global  consortium proposed extending India’s π/2-BPSK uplink waveform to further strengthen 5G coverage and unlock uplink-intensive services—such as high-definition video, immersive XR, and on-device AI—while paving the way for 6G.

Originating in 2014 at IIT Hyderabad as a single-institute effort, the waveform progressed into a national program with leading industry and academic partners, became a 3GPP Release 17 standard, and is now a mainstream 5G feature adopted by operators and vendors worldwide.

Prof. Kiran Kuchi, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Hyderabad, the driving force behind this success and founder of IIT Hyderabad spin-out WiSig Networks, remarked, “India’s coverage-enhancement technology—created with fellow Indian institutes and global collaborators including Qualcomm, Apple, Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung, MediaTek, DOCOMO, AT&T, Reliance Jio, Thales, and others—has become an integral part of the global standard.”

We gratefully acknowledge the efforts of various organizations of Government of India, i.e. the Department of Telecommunications (DOT), the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the Department of Science and Technology (DST), and the Standards Development Organisation, Telecommunications Standards Development Society, India (TSDSI) for their steadfast support in this regard.

Prof. B S Murty, Director of IIT Hyderabad, added, “IIT Hyderabad is committed to breakthrough research in the field of Wireless Communications that translates into globally adopted patents and products, propelling India toward Viksit Bharat.”

As the 6G era dawns, IIT Hyderabad and WiSig Networks are already advancing technologies such as the OTFDM waveform and Structural MIMO within the newly approved 6G Study Item. Together with Indian and global partners, we will continue to imagine, invent, and deliver the next generation of communication technologies, networks, and devices.

About IIT Hyderabad:

IITH, established in 2008, has reached a respectable position in Academics, Research, Technology development and Startups in a short span of 16 years. In the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), IITH has bagged at 3rd in Innovation and 8th among Engineering institutes in the last two consecutive years, while it has maintained its rank within top 10 Engineering Institutes ever since NIRF was launched. IITH has been striving for excellence with a motto of "Inventing & Innovating in Technology for Humanity (IITH)".

With 325 full-time Faculty and 5,300+ Students (PG+PhD students accounting for about 60%), IITH has a strong research focus with ~ 4630 Projects worth of Rs. 1510+ Cr of R&D funding (Rs. 335+ Cr funding in 2024-25, i.e., Rs. 1+ Cr per faculty), 11,680+ Publications, 2,15,000+ Citations, 510+ Patents (210+ Patents in 2024 and a commitment to “Patent a Day: Mission 365” for 2025 to earn 365 Patents by the end of 2025), and about 260+ Startups (that have generated 1100+ jobs with a revenue of Rs. 1500+ Cr).

About WiSig Networks Private Limited:

WiSig Networks, a Startup incubated at IITH, is a leading provider of wireless communications solutions, specialising in cutting-edge technologies such as Massive MIMO, 5G ORAN, NB-IoT SOC solutions, Open RAN and advanced 5G/6G technologies, played a crucial role in the integration and seamless operation of equipment throughout the trials. IIT Hyderabad's extensive indoor and outdoor facilities provided an optimal environment for comprehensive real-world wireless testing. With a commitment to innovation and excellence, WiSig is dedicated to shaping the future of Wireless connectivity. www.wisig.com

C-DOT Ties with VVDN Technologies and WiSiG Networks for Indigenous Development of 5G Open RAN Under AtmaNirbhar Bharat

With an aim to build indigenous 5G network infrastructure equipment, Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), a Government of India owned telecommunications technology R&D centre, has signed an agreement with two companies — WiSig Networks Private Limited and VVDN Technologies Private Limited — for collaboration in the area of Open RAN based Radio Network for 5G solution.

This collaboration aims to leverage the technical competencies and complementary strengths of Indian R&D and industry in evolving a mutually productive alliance leading to indigenous design, development, manufacturing and deployment of cost-effective 5G products and solutions. This engagement will augment the indigenous Intellectual Property and create new avenues for wider adoption and monetization of home-grown 5G products & solutions.

WiSig Networks Private Limited is an IIT-Hyderabad incubated startup engaged in the business of developing, marketing, and offering various communications solutions including 5G Mobile Communication Products and Solutions.

VVDN Technologies Private Limited is a leading product engineering and manufacturing company in various technology domains including 5G, Networking & Wi-Fi, IoT, and cloud storage services.

Speaking at the event, Dr. RajKumar Upadhyay, Executive Director, C-DOT emphasized the key role of synergistic engagement amongst various technology stakeholders in developing all-encompassing indigenous products and solutions in an effective and expeditious manner. He said today we have taken a big step towards development of indigenous 5G technology with the involvement of Indian partners for addressing the needs of the country and exploring apping the export market. He further remarked that R&D and industry complement each other and reiterated C-DOT’s firm commitment for promoting indigenous design & development of 5G technology in line with Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of “Gati Shakti” and “Atmanirbhar Bharat”.

C-DOT has indigenously designed various cutting-edge telecom technologies including 4G solution and is keenly working in the area of 5G.

Puneet Agarwal, CEO, VVDN Technologies said that “VVDN is deeply committed to enable the 5G eco-system in India. This collaboration between C-DOT, VVDN and WiSig is another step towards making India ‘Atmanirbhar’ in the field of Telecom. VVDN will work with CDOT and WiSig in O-RU design which includes indigenously developed Hardware and software. VVDN’s design, development, manufacturing and testing capabilities in the 5G space makes it a preferred partner. It is another proud moment for VVDN”.

Prof. Kiran Kuchi, Founder of WiSig Networks, said, "WiSig is delighted to be part of this initiative led by C-DOT to build indigenous 5G network infrastructure equipment. WiSig has been pioneering the development of indigenous 5G technology since last five years which can be seen in WiSig’s contributions to 5G standardization at 3GPP, TSDSI and ITU consultations. WiSig has contributed to development of Pi/2 BPSK modulation scheme which is now mandatory in the 5G standard and have also developed a significant portfolio of 5G standard essential patents. Through this initiative WiSig Networks will offer world’s leading, trusted and advanced massive MIMO and other stacks running on multiple competitive platforms in terms of stability, reliability and performance. Our RAN solutions will address the needs of public telecom networks, trusted and critical networks as well as private networks."

In July last year, WiSig along with IIT-Hyderabad, unveiled ‘Koala’, an NB-IoT SoC (Narrowband Internet-of-Things System-on-Chip). NB-IoT is a 5G massive Machine-Type-Communication (MTC) technology that enables low-bit rate IoT applications with long-range and device battery life up to 10 years.

IIT Hyderabad and Its Startup WiSig Announce 'Koala', India's 1st 5G SoC to Drive NB-IoT Applications

Koala, India’s first 5G cellular chipset.

Koala NB IoT SoC fulfils the objective of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and has wide-ranging 5G applications.

Department of Telecommunication (DOT) has funded this activity as part of the “Indigenous 5G Testbed” project, and MEITY supported the SoC design through the FabCI incubator.

Hyderabad: July 01, 2021: Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH), along with WiSig, today announced ‘Koala’ an NB-IoT SoC (Narrowband Internet-of-Things System-on-Chip). NB-IoT is a 5G massive Machine-Type-Communication (MTC) technology that enables low-bit rate IoT applications with long-range and device battery life up to 10 years. Smart meters, machine-to-machine connectivity, Industry 4.0, a plethora of sensor connectivity, asset tracking, digital healthcare, and many more applications find the use of Koala.

The SoC supports 3GPP Rel-13/14 compliant NB-IoT modem with integrated baseband and radio, an application processor, and GPS functionality for location tracking. Department of Telecommunication (DOT) has funded this “Indigenous 5G Testbed” project. IITH and WiSig networks (WiSig), a 5G start-up incubated in iTIC (IITH Technology Incubator) and FabCI (Fabless Chip Design Incubator, a MEITY funded incubator at IITH) collaborated in the successful development of Koala, India’s first 5G cellular chipset. Cyient, an Indian Multinational Company, did the semiconductor design.

Congratulating Prof. Kiran Kuchi for this noteworthy work, Prof. B.S. Murty, Director, IITH, said, “I am delighted that Koala SoC, an NB-IoT 3GPP standards-compliant chipset, has been jointly developed by IITH and WiSig. I applaud Prof. Kiran Kuchi for this initiative. I also thank DoT for the 5G Testbed project and MEITY for the FabCI incubator. Koala NB IoT fulfils the objective of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and has wide-ranging 5G applications. I am also Happy that Cyient has been a partner in this development, which is a demonstration of synergy between industry and academia, that is crucial for realizing Atmanirbhar Bharat.”

Researcher can be reached via our public relations cell at pro@iith.ac.in for any further queries in the subject matter.