IIT Hyderabad & WiSig announce 'Koala', India's first 5G SoC to drive NB-IoT applications

Hyderabad: The Indian Institute of Technology. Hyderabad (IITH), along with WiSig, on Wednesday announced 'Koala', an NB-IoT SoC (Narrowband Internet-of-Things System-on-Chip).

NB-IoT is a 5G massive machine-type-communication (MTC) technology that enables low-bit rate IoT applications with long-range and device battery life up to 10 years. Smart metres, machine-to-machine connectivity, Industry 4.0, a plethora of sensor connectivity, asset tracking, digital healthcare, and many more applications find the use of Koala.

The SoC supports 3GPP Rel-13/14 compliant NB-IoT modem with integrated baseband and radio, an application processor, and GPS functionality for location tracking. The Department of Telecommunication (DOT) has funded this "Indigenous 5G Testbed" project.

IITH and WiSig networks (WiSig), a 5G start-up incubated in iTIC (IITH Technology Incubator) and FabCI (Fabless Chip Design Incubator, a MEITY-funded incubator at IITH collaborated in the successful development of Koala, the country's first 5G cellular chipset. Cyient, an Indian Multinational Company, did the semiconductor design.

Prof. B S Murty, Director, IITH, said: "I am delighted that Koala SoC, an NB-IoT 3GPP standards-compliant chipset, has been jointly developed by IITH and WiSig. I applaud Prof. Kiran Kuchi for this initiative. I also thank DoT for the 5G Testbed project and MEITY for the FabCI incubator.

Koala NB IoT fulfils the objective of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' and has wide-ranging 5G applications. I am also happy that Cyient has been a partner in this development, which is a demonstration of synergy between industry and academia that is crucial for realizing Atmanirbhar Bharat."