New Delhi, Mar 30 (IANS): With an aim to fast-track the realisation of Digital India initiative, Swedish communication technology firm Ericsson and IIT - Delhi on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly roll out a "5G for India" programme.

Ericsson will set up a Centre of Excellence with a 5G test bed and incubation centre at IIT - Delhi and use this facility to drive the development of the country's 5G ecosystem.

"The programme will focus on delivering research, innovation and industrial pilots that use next-generation 5G networks as an enabler. It will help initiate cross-industry research collaborations focused on the integration of ICT in industry processes, products and services," Paolo Colella, Head of Region India at Ericsson, said in a statement.

The first series of tests is due to begin in the second half of 2017 in India and will place the country on par with other developed countries in terms of 5G network and application deployment.

Globally, limited deployment and 5G trials are expected to start by mid-2018 while commercial availability is slated for 2020.