India finds a voice in 4G

A hushed looking professor from IIT Chennai has been quite busy over the past months outside the classroom holding discussions, making presentations, liaising with Indian telecom operators. Slowly, he has been scripting an Indian story in the next generation international wireless standardization, which ensures that equipments talk to each other. In other words, assurance that a radio transmitter built by one company, for instance, effectively communicates with the radio receiver built by another firm.

The man in question, Bhaskar Ramamurthi heads the Centre of quality in Wireless Technology (CEWiT), a society set up jointly by the department of IT (DIT) and industry. One of its missions is to join in these standardizations, addressing Indian market requirements. Historically, the country has been missing the bus when it came to contributing to wireless standard setting. When research organizations and the industry woke up a few years ago, the 3G standard had already been finalized. They currently visualize a good chance with the 4th generation of radio technologies, which seeks to really enhance the capacity and speed of mobile telephone networks.

CEWiT is participating in two major ongoing 4G standardization efforts 802.16m and LTE advanced. 802.16 is a series of wireless broadband standards authored by the IEEE, an association that advances scientific innovation. Recently, the IEEE 802.16 Working Group convened in Bangalore to thrash out the new ‘m’ standard.

Transfer of sensitive tech to new firm under a cloud

A susceptible defense-related technology, developed by scientists at a research and development centre of the Union IT ministry, has been transferred to a company with links to a South Korean firm and controlled by a person facing trial for alleged software theft documents.

The transfer of technology (ToT) was made in August 2007 by the Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research. The end users of the product are the defense and electronics sectors. Whenever there is a necessity for mass production of its products being an R&D facility, goes in for a ToT agreement with an industry player having the required technical expertise, manufacturing experience and sound financial background.

However, the transfer of the integrated radio and line modem (IRLM), said to be an advanced missile controlling technology used by the defense forces, to a company called M/s Sam Shin Precision Pvt Ltd, which does not appear to have any prior manufacturing experience or expertise, has come under a cloud.

Sam Shin is controlled by P Rathinavel, who was arrested in September 2005 by the cyber wing of the Central Crime Branch on the charge of stealing software for manufacturing digital electrical meters from a company called Omni Agate, in which he was working as technical director.