New Delhi [India], Mar. 30 : Ericsson and the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly roll out a '5G for India' program.

To this regard, Ericsson will set up a Center of Excellence with a 5G test bed and incubation center at IIT Delhi and use this facility to drive the development of the country's 5G ecosystem.

This program has been conceptualised to fast-track realisation of Digital India initiatives and aid application development for Indian start-ups and industries.

In addition to hosting the Center of Excellence, IIT Delhi will conduct research and development to explore how some of the country's challenges can be addressed with mobile technologies.

"The 5G for India program is a major step towards understanding the power of 5G technology and how it can help aid Digital India initiatives, including the development of smart cities. The program will focus on delivering research, innovation and industrial pilots that use next-generation 5G networks as an enabler. It will help initiate cross-industry research collaborations focused on the integration of ICT in industry processes, as well as products and services," said Paolo Colella, Head of Region India at Ericsson.

The first series of tests under this program are due to begin in the second half of 2017 and will place India on par with other developed countries in terms of 5G network and application deployment. Globally, limited deployment and 5G trials are expected to start by mid-2018 while commercial availability is slated for 2020.

"IIT Delhi has been committed to developing the latest technologies in close collaboration with industry. Our core strength of academic excellence will provide a perfect partnership platform with Ericsson and contribute to India's Digital vision," said Ramgopal Rao, Director, IIT Delhi.

Globally, Ericsson 5G radio test beds have demonstrated record-breaking throughput as well as tight interworking between network layers, frequency bands, and technology standards. This will help ensure seamless connectivity for billions of connected devices, machines, and things, supporting consumer, business, and industrial applications(ANI)