PM inaugurates 8th edition of India Mobile Congress

Newdelhi:15/10/24:The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the International Telecommunication Union – World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA) 2024 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi today. Shri Modi also inaugurated the 8th edition of India Mobile Congress during the programme. He took a walkthrough of the exhibition showcased on the occasion.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister welcomed the Union Minister for Communication Shri Jyotiradiya Scindia, Minister of State for Communication Shri Chandrasekhar  Pemmasani, Secretary General of  ITU Ms. Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Ministers & dignitaries of various foreign countries, industry leaders, telecom experts, youths from the Startup world and ladies and gentlemen to the WTSA and India Mobile Congress (IMC). Welcoming the dignitaries of ITU, Shri Modi thanked and appreciated them for choosing India as the destination for the first WTSA meeting. “India is one among the most happening countries when it comes to telecom and its related technologies”, exclaimed Shri Modi. Listing the achievements of India, Shri Modi said that India had a mobile phone user base of 120 crores or 1200 million, 95 crore or 950 million internet users and digital transactions of more than 40% of the entire world in real-time. He further added that India had showcased how digital connectivity had become an effective tool for the last mile delivery. He congratulated everyone for choosing India as the destination for discussing the global telecommunication standard and discussion on the future for telecom as a global good.

Highlighting the significance of the combined organization of WTSA and India Mobile Congress, the Prime Minister said that WTSA’s objective is to work on global standards while the role of India Mobile Congress is associated with services. He said that today’s event brings global standards and services on a single platform. Emphasizing India’s focus on quality service and standards, the Prime Minister said that WTSA’s experience would provide new energy to India.

Union Minister for Communication, Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia and Union Minister of State for Communication, Shri Chandrasekhar  Pemmasani were present on the occasion along with various industry leaders.

Background

World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly or WTSA is the governing conference for the standardization work of International Telecommunication Union, the United Nations Agency for Digital Technologies, organized every four years. It is for the first time that the ITU-WTSA will be hosted in India and the Asia-Pacific. It is a pivotal global event that will bring together more than 3,000 industry leaders, policy-makers and tech experts from over 190 countries, representing telecom, digital and ICT sectors.

WTSA 2024 will provide a platform for countries to discuss and decide the future of standards of next-generation critical technologies like 6G, AI, IoT, Big Data, cybersecurity, etc. Hosting this event in India will provide the country an opportunity to play a key role in shaping the global telecom agenda and set the course for future technologies. Indian startups and research institutions are set to gain critical insights into developing Intellectual Property Rights and Standard Essential Patents.

India Mobile Congress will showcase India’s innovation ecosystem, where leading telecom companies and innovators will highlight advancements in  Quantum technology and Circular Economy along with spotlight on 6G, 5G use-case showcases, cloud & edge computing, IoT, semiconductors, cybersecurity, green tech, satcom and electronics manufacturing.

India Mobile Congress, Asia’s largest digital technology forum, has become a well-known platform across the globe for showcasing innovative solutions, services, and state-of-the-art use cases for industry, government, academics, startups, and other key stakeholders in the technology and telecom ecosystem. The India Mobile Congress will showcase over 400 exhibitors, about 900 startups, and participation from over 120 countries. The event also aims to showcase more than 900 technology use case scenarios, host more than 100 sessions and discussions with over 600 global and Indian speakers.