Jio Estonia, a subsidiary of Jio Platforms, has partnered with Finland's University of Oulu to accelerate the development of 6G.

This is the first time an Indian CSP has formed an alliance with an international university for the development of an upcoming communications standard.

Jio is trying to change how telcos typically operate in India. The company has developed its own stack of 5G solutions, which it plans to sell in the global market after deploying in India.

Jio might be slightly behind the global market where 5G is concerned, but with this tie-up it is clear that it doesn't want to make the same mistake with 6G.

Figure 1: Early investments in 6G research and capabilities with the University of Oulu could complement Jio Lab's capabilities in 5G.
(Source: Kirill Ivanov/Alamy Stock Photo)

Jio Platforms and the University of Oulu will work together in areas of aerial and space communication, holographic beamforming, 3D-connected intelligence in cybersecurity, microelectronics and photonics.

From defense to consumer goods

"The collaborative effort will aid in competing with 6G enabled products in the defense, automotive, white goods, industrial machinery, consumer goods, efficient manufacturing, novel personal smart device environments, and experiences such as urban computing and autonomous traffic settings," says the press release.

The University of Oulu also runs the 6G Flagship project, partnering with various universities and organizations from around the world.

Telecom companies including Telia, Tele2, Orange and BT are members, as well as Nokia Bell Labs, Keysight Technologies and Interdigital. It is unclear if Jio Estonia's collaboration with the University of Oulu is part of this initiative.

"Early investments in 6G research and capabilities with the University of Oulu can complement Jio Lab's capabilities in 5G and bring 6G to life," says Aayush Bhatnagar, senior vice president for Jio Platforms, in the statement.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has recently formed six task forces to start working on 6G technology.

However, India is yet to launch 5G services. All service providers, including Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, are conducting 5G trials, and the spectrum auction is likely to take place later this year.

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— Gagandeep Kaur, contributing editor, special to Light Reading