New Centre initiatives to transform rural life, drive digital inclusion

New Delhi, June 18: In a bid to boost innovation to transform rural life and further herald digital inclusion, the Central government has called for two proposals ‘5G Intelligent Village’ and ‘Quantum Encryption Algorithm’.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has invited participants from industry, MSMEs, startups, academia and government departments involved in technology design, development and commercialisation of telecommunication products and solutions.

The ‘5G Intelligent Village’ initiative underscores the need for equitable technological advancement by harnessing the transformative power of 5G technology to uplift rural communities in select villages, to begin with. It aims to address critical pillars such as agriculture, education, healthcare, governance, and sustainability, said the DoT.

“Proposals are invited to enable effective utilisation of Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication (URLLC) and massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) aspects of 5G in selected villages, showcasing the advantages of 5G connectivity,” said the DoT. The call for proposals is for developing an India-specific ‘Quantum Encryption Algorithm’ (QEA) that will represent a cutting-edge approach to securing digital communication channels by leveraging the principles of quantum mechanics.

The DoT said it is looking forward to collaborative efforts in realising the potential of 5G and quantum encryption for a digitally resilient future. These proposals will be funded under the Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) scheme of the DoT, it said in a statement.