The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), the premier telecom research and development centre of the Government of India, has received the SKOCH Award 2025 for its Cell Broadcast Solution (CBS). The award was presented during the 104th SKOCH Summit, held on the theme “Resourcing Viksit Bharat.”
According to the Department of Telecommunications, the SKOCH Award recognises individuals, institutions, and projects across government and private sectors for outstanding contributions towards improving governance and development in areas such as technology, finance, health, education, and public service delivery.
C-DOT’s Cell Broadcast Solution is an indigenous disaster and emergency alert platform designed to enable near real-time dissemination of life-saving information to citizens in affected areas through cellular networks. The system integrates multiple disaster alert generation agencies, including the India Meteorological Department for weather-related events, the Central Water Commission for floods, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services for tsunamis and oceanic hazards, the Defence Geo-informatics Research Establishment for landslides, and the Forest Survey of India for forest fires.
The platform also brings together mobile service providers for message delivery, State Disaster Management Authorities and the National Disaster Management Authority for alert approval and disaster response, creating a single unified and automated system for disaster communication.
The Cell Broadcast Solution enables geo-targeted, multi-hazard alerts with support for 21 Indian languages, significantly enhancing the efficiency of disaster risk reduction and management efforts. The initiative aligns with the United Nations’ Early Warnings for All programme, the International Telecommunication Union’s Common Alerting Protocol, and contributes towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Rajkumar Upadhyay, Chief Executive Officer of C-DOT, said the award recognises the organisation’s commitment to placing technology at the service of citizens, including those in remote and vulnerable regions.
He said the Cell Broadcast Solution strengthens public safety by enabling timely and targeted dissemination of critical information during disasters, reinforcing India’s disaster resilience framework. Dr Upadhyay added that the recognition also reflects C-DOT’s contribution to the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, placing India among a select group of global vendors offering this advanced technology.
