Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has successfully concluded its annual general body meeting for the financial year 2025-26. The meeting brought together COAI members to review key developments in the sector, deliberate on emerging priorities and discuss the roadmap for strengthening India’s digital communications ecosystem.
The COAI leadership for 2026–27 was also announced at the meeting. Rahul Vatts, group chief regulatory officer (CRO) and director, corporate affairs, Bharti Airtel Limited, will serve as chairperson of COAI, while Dr Ravi P. Gandhi, chief regulatory officer, Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, will serve as vice-chairperson.
Rahul Vatts is a telecom industry veteran with 29 years of experience across telecom and broadcasting licensing, economic regulation, spectrum management and regulatory litigation. As CRO of Airtel, he leads the company’s government relations, policy and regulatory engagements across mobility, broadband, direct-to-home, data centres, submarine cables, international subsidiaries and digital businesses. He also chairs GSMA’s spectrum policy working group and is a member of GSMA’s global policy group and spectrum strategy and management group.
Meanwhile, Dr Ravi P. Gandhi is a distinguished telecom professional with over three decades of experience in public policy, telecom regulation and network operations. He has previously served as CRO at Bharti Airtel Limited and, as an officer of the Indian telecom services, held key positions in the Department of Telecommunications. He exemplifies the powerful combination of technical expertise and strategic foresight, driving innovation and meaningful societal impact. Dr Gandhi holds a Ph.D. from IIT Delhi and a B Tech from NIT Kurukshetra.
Speaking on the occasion, Lt Gen Dr S.P. Kochhar, director general, COAI, said, “India’s telecom sector is at a critical stage of transformation, with digital communications infrastructure increasingly serving as the foundation of the country’s digital economy. As technologies such as AI, 5G Advanced, satellite communications and future 6G systems evolve, the sector will play an even greater role in enabling innovation, inclusion and economic growth. COAI welcomes and congratulates the new leadership and believes that we will continue to work closely with the government, regulators and industry stakeholders to support trusted communications, investment-friendly policy frameworks and secure, resilient and future-ready digital infrastructure.”
