Mar 29: Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision is that India should lead in the development of telecom technologies and standards. In line with this vision, the Deptt of Telecom organised the ‘First International Quantum Communication Conclave’ on 27-28 March 2023 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. Minister of Communications, Electronics & Information Technology and Railways, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw and Minister of State for Communications Shri Devusinh Chauhan inaugurated the Conclave on 27th March.
The conclave was organised in association with CDOT, Telecommunications Standards Development Society India (TSDSI) and IEEE Communications Society – Delhi Chapter. The International Quantum Communication Conclave provided an excellent opportunity to learn about the latest advancements in quantum communication technologies. Experts from industries, academia, R&D centres, and government deliberated on possible applications of Quantum Technologies in building a secure communication infrastructure.
The standards on the ‘Test Guide of Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) System’ and ‘Quantum-Safe and Classical Cryptography System’ were released by the Minister during the inaugural.
The C-DOT is actively engaged in developing solutions in Quantum Communications and is poised to be designated as a hub for Quantum Communication-related activities under NMQTA. C-DOT has developed Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) and Post Quantum Cryptography (PQC) security solutions for communication. These solutions have been demonstrated in the live network and the TEC certification process is also underway.
With an objective to find vulnerabilities in QKD as well as PQC solutions as well as to further strengthen the Quantum Ecosystem in India, the Quantum Hackathon 2023 was announced by Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Hon’ble Minister for Communications. Learning from this Hackathon will be shared with the complete Indian ecosystem so as to improve the security aspects of the solutions being developed by the Indian industry. Successful Hackathon applicants will be provided with a prize of INR 10 Lakh for each break into the QKD or PQC systems and an opportunity to further collaborate with C-DOT in the area of Quantum Security at mutually agreeable terms and conditions. Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw also announced that C-DOT will be funding the development of solutions that can break QKD or PQC security through CDOT’s Collaborative Research Policy (CCRP 2022).
During the inaugural on 27th March 2023, Hon’ble Ministers also presented the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Telecom Skill Excellence Awards – 2022 to various winners. ‘Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Telecom Skill Excellence Awards’ have been instituted by the Department of Telecommunications to encourage the telecom ecosystem for their outstanding contributions in the areas of telecom skilling, services, manufacturing, and applications.
Awardees who received the awards for 2022 are as follows:
| S.No. | Name of Awardee | Work/ Contribution |
| 1. | M/s Sterlite Technologies Ltd, Pune | Pune Skill development works in the telecom sector |
| 2. | M/s Vihaan Networks Limited, Gurugram | Technology development and manufacturing of solar-powered 4G RAN in India for remote and rural area |
| 3. | QuNu Labs Private Limited, Bengaluru | Work in Quantum Communication and security solution |
| 4. | M/s Dhruva Space Private Limited, Hyderabad | Work in the Satellite communication field |
| 5. | M/s Inntot Technologies Pvt Ltd, Ernakulam | Development of Software Defined Radio Receiver |
