How IIT Professors created India's own 5G Tech | Prof. Radha Krishna Ganti, EE, IITM on BP2B S2 Ep.6

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

August 29, 2025

Duration

54m

Channel

Best Place To Build

Watch on YouTube

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📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

In this episode of The Best Place to Build Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Radha Krishna Ganti, Professor of Electrical Engineering at IIT Madras and Vigyan Yuva Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar awardee, to uncover the untold story behind India’s first 5G phone call using indigenous technology. From building base stations from scratch to powering India's digital future, this episode reveals how IIT professors, students, and researchers laid the foundation for India’s 5G revolution. And what comes next with 6G research? ✨ What you’ll learn in this episode:

• The inside story of India’s first 5G call with homegrown tech
• Why 5G networks, GSM architecture & wireless communication are critical for India’s digital growth
• How Electrical Engineering, Electronics & Communication (EE, EEE, ECE) at IIT Madras drives telecom breakthroughs. Plus what’’s the difference between all 3 branches?
• What’s beyond 5G—the roadmap to 6G innovation

🔔 Subscribe to the channel for more conversations with builders, professors, and entrepreneurs shaping India’s future! And if you’re looking for a specific part, jump to it from the directory here: 0:00 Introduction 0:40 Welcome to The Best Place to Build 1:15 Meet Dr. Radhakrishna Ganti: IIT Professor & Bhatnagar Awardee 2:45 How Does Wireless Communication Work? 5:20 What exactly is 5G & Why It Matters for India’s Digital Future 7:05 From GSM to 5G: The Evolution of Wireless Networks 9:00 Building Indigenous 5G Technology from Scratch 12:10 The Nerve-Wracking Moment of the First 5G Call 13:40 Challenges in Scaling 5G Networks Across India 14:20 4G v/s 5G v/s 6G 18:50 Use-Cases of 5G 20:00 Verticals of 5G Technology 21:05 Who defines a country’s 5G needs? 25:05 The Story Behind BSNL’s 4G Deployment 29:05 Why Should Youngsters Be Motivated to Join EE? 32:08 Why Do People Say Electrical Engineering is Hard? 34:35 Professor Bhaskar’s (Ex-Director of IIT Madras) Legacy in Wireless Communication in India 36:00 GSM to 2G to 5G 40:10 Professor Ganti’s Insti Story 42:55 The Shift From a Theoretical to a Practical View of Systems Studies 46:10 Is IIT Madras Too Obsessed With Theoretical Learning? 47:00 What is The Difference Between EE, EEE & ECE? 51:00 How is AI/ML Affecting the World of Electrical Engineering? 52:40 Closing Thoughts & Reflections #bestplacetobuild #iitmadras #electrical #5g #techpodcast #makeinindia

🎤 SPEAKERS

• Dr. Radha Krishna Ganti

  guest

• Unknown Host

  host

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Best Place To Build, featuring Dr. Radha Krishna Ganti and Unknown Host, How IIT Professors created India's own 5G Tech | Prof. Radha Krishna Ganti, EE, IITM on BP2B S2 Ep.6 explores inside IIT Madras’s indigenous 5G testbed and standards journey Wireless communication is about reliably moving information through noisy, interference-filled, fast-changing channels, especially at high mobility and high user density.

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