The Indian Mobile Congress (IMC) 2024, in New Delhi, showcased India’s potential in advancing 6G technology. Organized by the Department of Telecommunications and the Cellular Operators Association of India, the event featured activities such as the International 6G Symposium, launch of the Telecom Smart Cities Index by OpenSignal, and a workshop with academicians on 5G Test Labs. The day began with a breakfast meeting with Minister of Communications and Development of Northeastern Region, Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, focusing on the theme ‘Leading in the Moment: The Future is Now’.
During the International 6G Symposium, Minister Scindia highlighted India’s ambition to lead global 6G innovation, emphasizing the importance of cybersecurity and India’s capability to contribute to the formulation of 6G regulations. Opensignal’s Indian Cities Digital Readiness Ranking (ICDRR) assessed 50 Indian cities’ mobile infrastructure for smart city transformation through 4G/5G Availability, Consistent Quality, and Overall Download Speeds. The top 5 ranked cities included Srinagar, Agra, Faridabad, Jaipur, and Patna.
The workshop with academicians of 5G test labs discussed enhancing indigenous 5G network for 5G+/6G standards, role of enterprise private networks, network transformation with 5G/5G+, and applications for enterprise verticals, industrial 5G use cases, and live demos by 5G ACIA. The day also featured sessions on Supercharging India through Equitable AI, Securing the Digital realm, Techos pioneering the future of private networks, and AI-driving Autonomous networks of the future among others. The event highlighted the transformative potential of emerging technologies and the role of AI across various industries.
Neeraj Mittal, Secretary of DoT, emphasized India’s role as a global leader in 6G technology through collaborations for research, standardization, and public-private partnerships. N. G. Subramaniam, Chairman of Bharat 6G Alliance, discussed seamless connections between humans and machines with ceaseless innovations and the importance of a reliable, secure, and trusted next-gen network. Savi Soin, Senior Vice President and President of Qualcomm, mentioned best-in-class engineers working on autonomous and IoT devices, while Tarun Chhabra, Senior Vice President and Country Head of Nokia India, highlighted boosting sensing capacity of networks for enhanced and autonomous use cases.
Overall, the Indian Mobile Congress highlighted India’s potential in advancing 6G technology, integrating AI across various sectors, and positioning itself as a global leader in emerging technologies. The event showcased India’s digital and telecommunication potential through futuristic technologies, discussions on cybersecurity, and collaborations with global partners. With a focus on research, standardization, and public-private partnerships, India aims to drive innovation and development in the telecom sector and beyond.