Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) concluded its annual general body meeting (AGM) for the financial year 2023, with the announcement of its leadership for the term 2023-24.
During the meeting, COAI announced that Pramod K. Mittal, president, Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd., will continue to hold the position of chairperson while P. Balaji, chief regulatory and corporate affairs officer, Vodafone Idea Limited (Vi), will remain the vice chairperson of the association.
Pramod K. Mittal comes with rich experience of over 40 years in telecommunications. Before joining Jio as president, he served in the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for over 37 years. Since 2000, he served as deputy director general (DDG) and then as senior DDG, working in the telecommunication policy formulation and implementation, licensing and regulatory wings of the DoT. During his tenure, he was responsible for the liberalisation of basic services, opening of national long-distance services and international long-distance services, introduction and implementation of unified access service licence and the unified licence regime.
Meanwhile, P. Balaji is a member of the core leadership team (CLT) of Vi. He leads the company’s regulatory, public policy and government relations activities along with industry advocacy, corporate communications, reputation management and corporate social responsibility. He is a pioneer in the telecom sector, joining the sector at its infancy in 1993. Prior to joining Vi, Balaji was managing director of Nokia India and Sony Mobile, and has held senior leadership positions in TATA group, AT&T, Ericsson and Lucent Technologies. Balaji is the chairman of ASSOCHAM National Digital Communications Council, and member of National Council of apex industry chambers CII, FICCI, ASSOCHAM and All India Management Association.
Lt. Gen. Dr. S.P. Kochhar, director general, COAI, expressed his appreciation for the unwavering support and exemplary leadership demonstrated by Mittal and Balaji during one of the most eventful years for the Indian telecom industry. Amongst many challenges as well as opportunities, the telecom industry stood resilient and continued to serve the nation as an essential service, delivering digital connectivity to individuals, businesses and various other sectors of the economy. COAI is optimistic about the opportunities that lie ahead for the industry, particularly as India advances with 5G and allied technologies, and trusts the leadership will continue to be instrumental in driving the association and the sector’s efforts and growth forward.
