In a move towards creating Indigenous advanced next-generation telecommunications technology, the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) has entered into a partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology Mandi (IIT Mandi), in association with the Indian Institute of Technology Jammu (IIT Jammu), to develop a "Wideband Spectrum-Sensor ASIC-Chip for Improved Spectrum Utilization."

As stated by the Ministry of Communications, the pact is formalized under the Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) program of the Department of Telecommunications, Government of India.

This program, intended to support Indian startups, educational institutions, and research and development organizations, is an essential facilitator for creating, advancing, and marketing telecommunication products and services. It seeks to provide affordable broadband and mobile services, significantly contributing to closing the digital gap throughout India.

The objective of the project is to create a dependable and easy-to-implement wideband spectrum sensing (WSS) algorithm that enhances spectrum efficiency by utilizing spectrum holes to provide broadband services in rural areas of India. Spectrum sensing allows cognitive radio users to adjust to their surroundings by identifying spectrum vacancies while avoiding interference with the primary network.

This project aims to design communication algorithms that are compatible with hardware for sensing the wideband spectrum (over 2 GHz of bandwidth) to identify and leverage the under-utilized bands (or white spaces), thereby improving the efficiency of spectrum utilization in any communication system.