5G Lab in GU: A catalyst for digital transformation in Assam

Pallab Bhattacharyya

(Pallab Bhattacharyya is a former director-general of police, Special Branch and erstwhile Chairman, APSC. Views expressed by him is personal. He can be reached at pallab1959@hotmail.com)

On February 25, 2025, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia inaugurated Assam’s third 5G laboratory at Gauhati University, marking a transformative leap in the state’s technological and educational landscape. This state-of-the-art facility, part of the “Advantage Assam 2.0” initiative, is poised to become a nucleus for research in high-speed communication, artificial intelligence (AI), and next-gen networking. Beyond its academic promise, the lab holds immense potential to revolutionise cybersecurity frameworks, particularly through synergies with the Assam Police’s “Cyberdome Project.”. By bridging cutting-edge 5G capabilities with law enforcement’s digital needs, this collaboration could redefine how India’s northeastern frontier combats cybercrime and secures its digital future.

The 5G Lab: A Gateway to Technological Sovereignty 

Accelerating Research and Skill Development: The 5G lab at Gauhati University is not merely a testing ground for faster connectivity but a digital sandbox for interdisciplinary innovation. Equipped with Amantya Technologies’ advanced infrastructure—including a 5G core network, radio access networks (RAN), and edge computing tools—the lab enables prototyping, performance evaluation, and real-world application development. Students and researchers can experiment with use cases like IoT-enabled agriculture, smart healthcare, and autonomous drones, fostering skills critical to India’s $1 trillion digital economy vision. As Scindia emphasised, Assam must transition from an “employee-driven” to an “innovator-led” economy; this lab is the catalyst.

The lab’s flexible packages—Basic, Pro, and Advanced—allow tailored experimentation, from low-bandwidth IoT applications to high-throughput industrial automation. Such versatility ensures that Assam’s youth are not just consumers but creators of 5G-driven solutions, positioning them at the forefront of global tech trends.

Bridging the Urban-Rural Digital Divide: With the Centre’s plan to establish Asia’s largest hyperscale data centres (1 million sq. ft.) in Assam, the 5G lab’s role expands beyond academia. These data centres will process vast amounts of regional data, enabling AI-driven governance, agriculture, and healthcare. The lab’s research on edge computing—reducing latency by processing data closer to its source—could revolutionise rural connectivity, ensuring remote villages access real-time telemedicine or precision farming tools. This aligns with Assam’s decadal growth rate of 12.6%, which surged to 19.6% in 2024, partly fuelled by digital infrastructure investments. 

Cyberdome 2.0: How

5G Empowers Assam’s

Digital Guardians:

The Cyberdome Project: A primer launched in 2018, the Assam Police’s Cyberdome Project was a visionary response to escalating cyber threats, from financial fraud to darknet terrorism. Its objectives include: 

- Cyber Forensics: Analysing digital evidence from devices and networks. 

- Social Media Monitoring: Detecting hate speech, misinformation, and radicalization. 

- Capacity Building: Training officers in digital investigation tools. 

- Public Awareness: Campaigns to educate citizens on cyber hygiene. 

While the Cyberdome has made strides—like partnering with the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) for advanced surveillance—its effectiveness hinges on ‘real-time data processing’ and ‘AI-driven analytics.’. This is where 5G’s ultra-low latency and high bandwidth become game-changers. 

5G-Enabled Cybersecurity: Three Transformative Use Cases:

1. Real-Time Threat Detection and Response: Cyberattacks today unfold in milliseconds. The Cyberdome’s social media lab, tasked with monitoring platforms for extremist content, currently faces data ingestion and analysis delays. With 5G’s ‘1-10 ms latency,’ AI models can scan terabytes of social media data in real-time, flagging threats like phishing links or communal incitement instantly. For instance, Nokia’s ‘NetGuard Cybersecurity Dome’—an XDR (Extended Detection and Response) platform—uses 5G to correlate threats across networks, enabling automated playbooks for incident response. Integrating such tools via Gauhati University’s lab could preempt attacks before they escalate.

2. Enhanced Digital Forensics: The Cyberdome’s forensic lab, coupled with Cyber Labs in CID HQ, struggles with processing encrypted devices or cloud-stored evidence. 5G’s ‘multi-Gbps speeds’ allow rapid transfer of large datasets (e.g., hard drive images) to cloud servers, where AI algorithms can decrypt files or detect malware signatures. During the 2023–2025 “Cyber Safety Awareness Campaign,” over 50% of reported frauds involved UPI scams. With 5G-powered analytics, investigators could trace transaction trails across banks and telecom providers in minutes, not days.

2. Virtual Reality (VR) Training Simulators: The Cyberdome’s mandate includes training officers from across Northeast India. Using 5G-connected VR headsets, trainees could immerse themselves in hyper-realistic simulations—like neutralising a ransomware attack on Guwahati’s power grid—without risking operational systems. Amantya’s lab offers MEC (Multi-Access Edge Computing) platforms for low-latency VR, making such training scalable and cost-effective. 

Synergy in Action: A Blueprint for Collaboration 

Joint Research Initiatives: Gauhati University’s lab could host ‘hackathons’ where students develop AI tools for the Cyberdome. For example: 

- A ‘deepfake detection model’ trained on Assamese dialects to combat identity fraud. 

- ‘Blockchain-based evidence chains’ to prevent tampering in digital investigations. 

Such projects would mirror the ‘Innovation Hub’ at Guwahati’s Regional Science Centre, which fosters “Kabad Se Jugad” (building from scraps) creativity among youth. 

Shared Infrastructure: The 5G lab’s ‘network slicing’ capability—partitioning bandwidth for specific uses—could allocate a secure slice for Cyberdome operations. This ensures prioritised access during crises, like election-related disinformation surges. Additionally, the lab’s IoT kits could prototype smart policing devices, such as drones monitoring trafficking routes in real-time. 

Policy Advocacy: The university’s legal and tech departments could collaborate with the Cyberdome to draft ‘5G-specific cyber laws,’ addressing gaps in IoT device regulation or data sovereignty. This would build on Assam’s pioneering Witch Hunting Act (2015), which emerged from community-policing initiatives like Project Prahari.

Conclusion: A Digital

Dawn for Assam 

The 5G lab at Gauhati University is more than a technological marvel—it’s a symbol of Assam’s ascent as India’s eastern tech powerhouse. By empowering students to innovate and equipping the Cyberdome with futuristic tools, it bridges education and governance, fostering a society resilient to digital threats. As Union Minister Scindia noted, “Assam must grow for India to grow.”. 

In the words of Nokia’s cybersecurity head, “The game is afoot—5G isn’t just speed; it’s the backbone of a secure tomorrow.” With this lab, Assam isn’t just playing the game—it’s rewriting the rules. Assam, with these latest developments, is subscribing to Steve Jobs’s quote: ‘Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.’