28.2.19

India Joins Elite Club of Nations with Chipset-level Innovation

India has entered an elite club of countries which have contributed to chipset-level innovation, telecom secretary Aruna Sundararajan said. She said it was extraordinary that a local company – Bengaluru-based Signalchip – came forward and launched not only a 4G-LTE chip, but also a 5G NR modem.

The company unveiled a dual carrier 4G-LTE and 5G NR standards-based modem that can work on up to 6 GHz frequency range, creating a breakthrough after eight-year long research and development activities in multiple complex domains.

“This is a pioneering innovation. It is something which is huge for India. With the first in-house chip, India is able to break into an elite club of countries,” Sundararajan said.

The telecom secretary said the new development will also have deep implications on data sovereignty and security, and that only eight companies worldwide have capabilities to design semiconductor chips.

With the achievement of the 40-member startup, which unveiled a highly sophisticated system on chip for small cell base stations, the Indian company can now compete with US firms such as Qualcomm, Intel and Broadcom.

“Not only a first 4G-LTE chip coming from India, but also a 5G chip. If India manages to bring in IPR, it would be groundbreaking,” said Sundararajan.

Signalchip chief executive Himamshu Khasnis said, “Semiconductor is at the heart of any technology. Indian companies have no ownership at the silicon core level. Building competencies in semiconductor are key to India’s technology roadmap.”

The telecom secretary said she expects that original equipment makers would take advantage of the technology. She said the new chipset technology may be taken up by a small group of companies and countries initially, and that this could improve performance as it would go along the competitive market.

“When we talk of 5G, we think of foreign original equipment makers coming and setting up infrastructure,” she said.

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