Minister of State for Communications inaugurates the International Conference of Telecom Regulators

Newdelhi:16/10/24:Minister for State for Communication (MoSC) Dr. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani inaugurated a one-day International Conference of Telecom Regulators today in the presence of, Ms. Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary General of International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Mr. Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA, Shri Anil Kumar Lahoti Chairman TRAI.  While inaugurating the conference, Hon’ble Minister of State for Communications Dr. Pemmasani highlighted the spectacular growth of ICT sector in the country, particularly the fastest deployment of 5G services and quick adoption of digital technologies in the country. He also shared about the growth of digital economy and conducive regulatory environment and related factors that contribute to such growth.

During the inaugural session, message of Minister of Communication, Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia was read out by Shri Atul K. Chaudhary, Secretary, TRAI. In his message MoC  stressed that regulators hold a sacred responsibility to safeguard the interests of consumers, alongside their myriad duties. He further stated that Evolution of NTNs will unlock new vistas, expanding the horizons of communication technologies and fostering innovative use cases and applications across diverse sectors, ultimately serving the greater good of society and advancing our collective journey toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). He called upon regulators to deliberate issues related to craft frameworks for OTT communication.

The speakers at the inaugural session included Ms. Doreen Bogdan Martin, Secretary General, ITU, Mr. Mats Granryd, DG, GSMA, Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, Chairman, TRAI.  Earlier Mr. Atul Kumar Chaudhary, Secretary, TRAI welcomed all the delegates to the conference.   Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, Chairman, TRAI mentioned in his address that TRAI has been proactively engaging in many international multilateral activities pertaining to ITU at global level and also at regional level through platforms like APT/SATRC, ASEAN etc. TRAI has hosted many conferences in collaboration with ITU, APT and with other international regulators both in India and abroad.

This conference is being conducted in concurrence with ITU World Telecom Standardization Assembly (WTSA-24) and India Mobile Congress (IMC-24) being organized in New Delhi. Delegates representing ITU member states, policy makers, regulators, and technology partners across the world besides other stakeholders have converged in New Delhi for attending these prestigious events.  Making best use of this opportunity, TRAI is hosting this one-day international conference. The theme of this conference is ‘Emerging Trends in Regulation’ and it is proposed to cover important topics such as Regulatory Perspective in Standardization, Regulatory Aspects of Satellite Communication, including other Non-Terrestrial Networks and Regulatory Outlook for OTT Communication Services.

During the inaugural session, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between TRAI and the Communications, space and technology commission (CST), the regulator of Saudi Arabia.  Through signing of this bilateral agreement, both sides have formalized their long standing bi-lateral relations and shall initiate many collaborative activities in the days to come.  TRAI has more than 20 such bi-lateral agreements with international regulators/organizations which give opportunities for mutual consultations and collaborations on many regulatory issues. The inaugural session ended with a vote of thanks by Ms. Vandana Sethi, Advisor (Admn/IR), TRAI.

For any clarification/ information, Ms. Vandana Sethi, Advisor (Admn/IR) may be contacted on [email protected].