New Delhi, Feb 13: TEXMiN Foundation (Technology Translation Research Park, Department of Science & Technology, Government of India), IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), a Government of India enterprise, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during the Industry–Institute Interaction 2026 (III–2026) Conclave and Exhibition at IIT (ISM) Dhanbad. Shri Shivkumar Kalyanaraman, CEO, ANRF was the Chief Guest of the event.
MoU was signed in august presence of Shri Sukumar Mishra, Chairman TEXMiN ; Shri Rajiv Kumar, Chief Finance Officer, BSNL; Prof Dheeraj Kumar, Project Director, TEXMiM; Shri Suraj Prakash, CEO, TEXMiN; Shri Jitendra Garg, PGM, CNPN; Shri Umesh Prasad Sah, GM, BSNL Ranchi circle and others.
The MoU highlights the national emphasis on strengthening digital infrastructure and translational research for industrial growth, particularly in the Mining sector.
Under the MoU, the two organisations will jointly design, test, and deploy pilot projects in mining and industrial environments. Key focus areas include Captive Non-Public Networks (CNPN) / Private 5G, Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), cybersecurity frameworks, drones, cloud platforms, and digital twin technologies. These pilots will enable validation of next-generation communication systems tailored for safe, smart, and sustainable mining operations.
“BSNL is proud to be associated with TEXMiN to revolutionize India’s mining industry with 5G CNPN-enabled smart mining technologies. This collaboration seeks to enhance mining safety, efficiency, and sustainability through AI, IoT, and automation use cases and will drive future innovation in the Indian mining industry with cost & resource-efficient practices,” said Shri Rajiv Kumar, Chief Finance Officer, BSNL.
Speaking on the collaboration, Prof. Sukumar Mishra, Director, IIT (ISM) Dhanbad and Chairman, Hub Governing Board, TEXMiN Foundation, said,
“The collaboration establishes a structured framework between TEXMiN and BSNL to translate advanced digital and communication technologies into real-world industrial use cases, particularly within mining and infrastructure sectors. The partnership aims to support the deployment of secure and scalable digital infrastructure, accelerate industry outreach and technology adoption across India, and promote start-ups, skill development, and innovation-driven capacity building.”
Prof. Dheeraj Kumar, Deputy Director, IIT (ISM) Dhanbad and Project Director, TEXMiN, added,
“This collaboration shall provide a platform for translating research into deployable solutions, enabling real-world testing, industry engagement, and large-scale implementation of telecom-enabled mining innovations. Through this initiative, we aim to create scalable, secure, and future-ready digital infrastructure models tailored for India’s mining and industrial sectors.”
Shri Suraj Prakash, CEO, TEXMiN, added,
“TEXMiN has been working to extend Digital Mining Infrastructure to Indian mines. The MoU with BSNL provides a robust platform for indigenous technologies to make Indian mines Viksit and Atmanirbhar in terms of Technologies. This will accelerate adoption of new technologies to increase the overall standard of safety , sustainability and productivity of Indian mines .”
In addition, the partnership will strengthen the start-up and innovation ecosystem by providing access to telecom infrastructure, sandbox environments, and enterprise customer networks for start-ups incubated or associated with TEXMiN. Joint workshops, training programmes, internships, and industry-oriented skill initiatives will further enhance capacity building, offering students and researchers exposure to live telecom and industrial networks.