The Ministry of Communications inaugurated the curtain raiser for India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2024. The eighth edition of IMC, co-hosted by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) will be held from October 15, 2024 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. It will be held concurrently with World Telecommunication Standardisation Assembly (WTSA) 2024.
In addition, India will be hosting the WTSA 2024 from October 15-24, 2024 preceded by Global Standards Symposium (GSS 2024) on October 14, 2024 in New Delhi.
The Telecommunication Standardisation Bureau (TSB) of International Telecommunication Union (ITU) conducts the WTSA once in four years to plan its standardisation programme for the next four years. They play a crucial role in shaping the global agenda for standardisation of telecom and information and communication technologies (ICTs). The WTSA 2024, will be accompanied by other related initiatives such as the ITU Kaleidoscope conference (October 21-23, 2024), ITU exhibitions (October 14-24, 2024), Network of Women (October 17, 2024) and artificial intelligence (AI) for good (October 18, 2024) to enrich the discourse and promote inclusivity in the sector. Additionally, a hackathon prior to the event will further provide a platform to developers to showcase different solutions.
This year’s event will put a major focus on AI, quantum technology and circular economy along with spotlight on 6G, 5G use-case showcase, cloud and edge computing, internet of things (IoT), semiconductors, cybersecurity, green tech, satellite communication (satcom) and electronics manufacturing.
IMC 2024 and ITU conferences are expected to witness around over 8,000 CXOs and industry delegates, more than 150,000 attendees, over 350 exhibitors, around 400 speakers, and over 80 sessions.
According to Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of Communications, Electronics and Information Technology and Railways, Aspire, the flagship start-up program introduced in the last edition, would be even bigger in 2024. The initiative drew participation from 402 startups from a wide range of industries, 40 angel investors, and 50 VC funds, facilitating 250 one-on-one investor meetings and resulting in two startups receiving funding through the IMC platform. In 2024, Aspire is committed to fostering connections between startups, investors, and established businesses with an aim to catalyse fresh entrepreneurial initiatives and collaborations.
