Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, have developed a narrow band IoT (Internet of Things) device that is capable of transmitting data to a smartphone when connected to sensors or a GPS module for remote monitoring and management of systems.

The device, which functions as a modem, will be one of the many technologies developed and tested at the test-bed going to be set up at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. The Centre had announced in the Union budget that it would set up the 5G test bed involving a team from five IITs and other R&D institutions.

Prof Kiran Kuchi, who developed the device, said it can transmit data through a base station to a smartphone similar to cellular communication.

“These are different from smartphones. They are radio communication modules that will be extremely low-cost devices and revolutionise sensor communication,” said Kuchi, who received the country’s first patent on 5G for developing a waveform technology that forms the backbone feature in the up-link of 5G networks.

Unlike the devices in the market that work on WiFi or Bluetooth technology that function only for short distances, Prof Kuchi said the IoT device is designed to operate at long distances.

“It is called a narrow band IoT because you don’t need a large bandwidth as you’d be sending a few bits.” IIT Hyderabad director U B Desai said the same device when connected to a smartphone will take cellular communication to the next level. With 5G expected to be faster and reliable than its predecessors, it is expected to bring a virtual reality experience with the click of a button.