Preparing groundwork for a successful 5G launch soon, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has approved 43 startups and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) for a grant of over ₹50 crore to develop indigenous 5G equipment and technologies.
According to DoT, the grant was approved as part of the Digital Communication Innovation Square Initiative, under the Champion Services Sector Scheme, for which the government had invited applications in April to promote an ecosystem for research, design, development, IPR creation and manufacturing.
The grant given to the 43 startups and MSMEs will be for development of telecom technologies like 5G core, RAN, NMS, IMS, chipsets, devices, ICT solutions and applications enhancing deep tech, to create competencies in domestic entities and prepare the country for the roll out of 5G services, the ministry of communications said in a tweet on Thursday.
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Among the approved organisations areBKC Aggregators,Coral Telecom, Wisig Networks, SASTRA University, and Versatile Antenna Systems.
Under the scheme, startups will get a grant of ₹50 lakhs while MSMEs will get a grant of ₹2 crores, and a consortium will get a grant of ₹10 crores. Financial support will be provided to those projects and ideas that have reached at least the proof of concept level.
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India will chair the Common Criteria Development Board from April 2026, gaining influence over international IT security certification standards recognised by 38 countries.
