India Mobile Congress (IMC), Asia’s premier digital technology exhibition, kicked off today with inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Bharat Mandapam. The big event, co-hosted by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), revolves around the theme ‘The Future is Now.’
The event will run until 18th October 2024 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. The first day of IMC 2024 saw global leaders, visionaries, innovators, and exhibitors showcase innovative technologies, ideas, and use cases across key industries and sectors.
India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2024 Day 1 Highlights:
The India Mobile Congress 2024 boasts over 400 exhibitors, about 900 startups, and participation from over 120 countries. The inaugural day it has featured important sessions and panels which included: Shaping the Future of Telecom: AI, 5G, and the Power of Multi-layer Convergence, Xciting Networks, Unleashing Potential, Orchestrating Future Connectivity with Open APIs, The Future Engineered: Women Driving the Digital Paradigm, Gadgets that shape the future: Insights and innovations, among others.
There were also keynotes and session discussions by industry leaders on telecom and digital infrastructure, quantum technology, and circular economy, and a spotlight on 6G and 5G use cases, cloud & edge computing, IoT, semiconductors, cybersecurity, green tech, satcom, and electronics manufacturing.
Telecom companies like Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and BSNL had their stalls showcasing their latest AI-based innovations and achievements of 4G/5G network standards. Interestingly, we could spot an Airtel stall showcasing their Satellite-based tolling technology which should reduce time and enhance the highway riding experience.
Reliance Jio showcased their IoT products specially designed for road safety by integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Concurrent to IMC 2024, India is also hosting the international conferences – World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly New Delhi 2024 (WTSA 2024) and Global Standards Symposium (GSS 2024) from 14-24 October 2024 at Pragati Maidan itself.
This event brought leaders from leading communication tech giants like Nokia, Qualcomm, Ericsson, etc. They see India as a tech hub, featuring massive growth in 5G rollout, and as a prime target for AI investments.
Commenting on the matter, Alex Rogers, President, Qualcomm Technology Licensing (QTL) & Global Affairs, Qualcomm said,
5G has driven India’s tremendous growth in data consumption, making it the second-largest smartphone market and a significant manufacturing base. As AI advances, we’re facing a massive power demand in data centers, projected to consume 50% of their capacity by 2035. The solution lies in shifting AI workloads to edge devices, such as smartphones, PCs, and vehicles, which can handle significant AI tasks independently. Edge AI offers real opportunities for power-efficient computing, enabling us to achieve sustainability and reduce infrastructure burdens.
Commenting on the Honorable Prime Minister Speech, Lt. Gen. Dr. S.P. Kochhar, Director General, COAI,
India’s telecom story is unfolding into a new phase. With the IMC 2024 and WTSA 2024 inauguration today, the deliberations for the next few days will play an important role in India’s growing global leadership in the industry. We are truly inspired by the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s inaugural speech, wherein he highlighted the focus on Digital India, technology leadership and aligned opportunities for women, among others. The industry is committed to following his vision of India playing a pragmatic role in the technology and telecom landscape, while fostering a framework of rules and regulations for the sector.
Mats Granryd, Director General of the GSMA, said,
India is doing absolutely phenomenon and the rollout of 5G is literally unmatched with India leading in 5G downloads. Regarding AI, We need to respect the complexity of AI. We see bright future in AI, but we need to respect the complex nature of AI, we need to follow the ethics etc. Spectrum is lifeline and blood of operators, aligning on spectrum is crucial to achieve our connectivity targets. We need to help the government to have a roadmap and timeline to align 6 GHz, if they missed it and leave no one behind.