DoT and C-DOT sign five year pact for optical network test bed

MUMBAI: India’s telecom ambitions are getting a fibre boost. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) have signed a five-year agreement to establish an End-to-End Optical Network Test Bed, creating a real-world environment for Indian startups and industry players to test, validate and commercialise optical communication technologies.

The DoT-funded facility will be set up at the C-DOT campus in New Delhi, with the aim of bridging one of the toughest gaps in telecom innovation: moving technologies from the laboratory to market-ready deployments.

The agreement was signed on 27 August 2026 by representatives of DoT and C-DOT in the presence of Alok Shukla, Advisor (Technology), DoT; Dr Rajkumar Upadhyay, CEO, C-DOT; and Atul Kumar Singh, DDG (Networks & Technologies), DoT.

The test bed will bring together technologies spanning optical core, optical access and Quantum Security, alongside advanced third-party test and measurement equipment from trusted vendors. C-DOT’s existing field-ready products will also form part of the platform.

Rather than being another lab facility that stops at experimentation, the test bed is designed as a shared national resource for innovation, testing, validation, skill development and commercialisation. Startups and industry players will be able to use it to assess technologies in a more realistic network environment before taking them closer to deployment.

The initiative will also have an education angle. Students, researchers, startups and industry professionals will get hands-on exposure and training in advanced optical networking, helping build skills around next-generation communication infrastructure.

The project has been divided into two phases.

The Set-up Phase will run through Years 1 and 2, focusing on building the test bed infrastructure across optical core, optical access and Quantum Security, along with the required testing and measurement tools. This phase will culminate in the formal rollout of the facility.

The Operations and Maintenance Phase will cover Years 3 to 5, focusing on maintaining the test bed, providing direct technical support to ecosystem users and running targeted educational outreach programmes.

By combining testing, validation, training and industry support under one roof, the facility is intended to strengthen India’s domestic optical communication ecosystem and support the broader Aatmanirbhar Bharat push in next-generation telecom infrastructure.