The Bharti Centre for Communication, set up with partnership between Bharti Foundation and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) – Bombay, was inaugurated on January 23, 2009 by Mr. Rakesh Bharti Mittal, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Bharti Enterprises. The Centre will promote research in all facets of communication theory and systems development. Professor Devang Khakhar, Director, IIT-Bombay, presided over the event. Professor Ashok Mishra, former Director, IIT-Bombay, was a guest the occasion.

In his inaugural speech Mr. Mittal pointed out that presently India was the fastest growing telecom market in the world and this telecom revolution has completely transformed the nation. “India must also strive to become a global centre for research and development of future communication technologies that are of benefit to consumers across the world. Bharti Centre for Communication is an initiative in this direction and we are delighted to partner IIT-Bombay, which attracts some of the best talent in area of technical research. We also look forward to this centre becoming a resource for quality talent in the country,” he said.

IIT-Bombay has received an assistance of $1 million through Bharti Foundation for setting up this Centre of excellence in communication systems and technology. The Centre, set up in the existing building of the Electrical Engineering Department, will aim at the development of communication theory and its applications. The Centre currently houses state-of-the-art laboratories and infrastructure that can enable a rich research environment and attract the best faculty and students. Some of the broad research areas would include: 4G technology, RF MEMS, Next-Generation IP/MPLS Services, Optical Fiber Communication, Networking, Communication and Signal Processing.

This initiative is expected to provide impetus to the efforts of the institute to excel in communication research. Prof. Khakhar, Director, IIT-Bombay, thanked Bharti Foundation for this major initiative. “This initiative will be very useful in giving a new thrust to our ongoing research in the field of communication theory and systems; it will foster technical collaboration between researchers and several user groups and deliver a range of tangible contributions to industry and society at large", he pointed out.

Bharti Foundation in partnership with IIT-Delhi has also set up the Bharti School of Telecommunication Technology & Management to groom and develop ‘Young Telecom Leaders’ for this dynamic and cutting-edge industry. The school offers post-graduate programs, i.e. M.Tech, MBA, MS (Research) and PhD in telecommunication.