NEW DELHI: The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), the premier telecom R&D institution under the Government of India's, Department of Telecommunications (DoT) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Synergy Quantum India Private Limited on Monday, which aims to develop Drone-based Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) systems.

"The Mou aims to formalise cooperation between C-DOT and Synergy Quantum in the development of Drone-based Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) systems, leveraging the decoy-based BB84 protocol with polarisation encoding, at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 or above," the Ministry of Communications said in a statement.

This association aligns with the goals to strengthen "national vision of strengthening indigenous research and innovation under the "Atmanirbhar Bharat" initiative and enhancing India's capabilities in emerging and secure telecom technologies," the statement added.

"The convergence of public R&D and private innovation is essential to shaping a secure and self-reliant digital future for India," said Rajkumar Upadhyay, CEO, C-DOT, adding "By combining our research depth with industry agility, we aim to jointly develop solutions that not only address national priorities but also contribute to India's emergence as a global player in quantum innovation."

Additionally, this partnership also aims at co-creation of research proposals for national and international grant applications and dissemination of outcomes through scholarly publications, white papers, and other platforms and Key representatives from both organizations may also engage in delivering expert talks, short courses, and organizing symposia, conferences, and meetings on timely research themes.

Jay Oberoi, Founder and CEO of Synergy Quantum India, stated that, "this partnership has the potential to position India as a global leader in drone-based quantum secure communications."

In March, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) announced the 5G Innovation Hackathon 2025, a six-month initiative aimed at accelerating the development of innovative 5 G-powered solutions to address societal and industrial challenges.