At the inaugural session of the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2023, leaders of the three private telcos shared their views on the evolving digital infrastructure landscape and expanding 5G ecosystem. Akash Mukesh Ambani, chairman, Reliance Jio; Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman, Bharti Enterprises Limited; and Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman, Aditya Birla Group, applauded the prime minister’s efforts in driving the digital transformation and inclusive growth. Key highlights from their addresses…

Akash Mukesh Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Jio

Akash Mukesh Ambani

Every generation needs a vision that ins­pi­res it to do great things. The prime minister has given my generation an aspirational vision of transforming our country into “Viksit Bharat”. If anyone wants to get a gl­i­mpse of how a developed India is being bu­i­lt, all they should do is come to the IMC.

India’s digital public infrastructure has been internationally praised. Millions of yo­­u­ngsters, including me, are inspired by the prime minister’s work in making Digital India a means to build a more innovative, in­clusive and sustainable world.

Last year, the prime minister had given us the challenge to make India a global leader in 5G technology. This challenge energised us and what we have achieved has stunned the world. We, at Jio, unleashed the fastest roll-out of 5G technology witnessed anywhere in the world. Deploying a 5G cell every 10 seconds, Jio has installed over 1 million 5G cells across all 22 circles of India. I am humbled to share that Jio alone has contributed to 85 per cent of the overall 5G capacity in the country and provided one of the fastest 5G internet speeds in the world. Furthermore, Jio’s 5G roll-out is powered by a 100 per cent in-house 5G stack, designed, developed and manufactured entirely by Indian talent.

The prime minister commanded us to make Bharat “atmanirbhar” in hi-tech. Jio has delivered on this command. We have fortified our 5G infrastructure with services such as JioFiber and JioAirFiber, our fixed-wireless broadband offerings. Now, Jio can provide 5G access to over 200 million unconnected homes and premises, making India the broadband capital of the world.

India today ranks amongst the top three 5G-enabled nations, with over 125 million 5G users. The transformative po­wer of 5G will provide new employment and entrepreneurial opportunities to millions of Indians. It will help both job seekers and job creators. We recently launched Jio Bharat, a revolutionary 4G smartphone costing just Rs 999, lower than most 2G phones. With such bold initiatives, Jio is set to end digital exclusion in India once and for all. Through the goods and services tax, the prime minister created one nation, one tax, one market.

“Providing one of the fastest 5G internet speeds in the world, Jio’s 5G roll-out is powered by a 100 per cent in-house 5G stack, designed, developed and manufactured entirely by Indian talent.” Akash Mukesh Ambani

The prime minister has led the digital connectivity revolution that has connected 1.4 billion Indians. Through his motto of “Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas”, he made development reach everyone, irrespective of region, religion, or caste. We promise that through the power of technology, we will build a digital statue of unity. Throu­gh the power of technology and connectivity, we will unite and inspire 1.4 billion Indians with the single dream of making our beloved motherland, Bharat, the most prosperous, the most technologically ad­van­ced, the most inclusive and the most harmonious nation in the world. On be­half of all the young digital entrepreneurs, young digital innovators and young digital start-ups at IMC, I assure you that we shall work tirelessly to realise India’s dream during India’s “Amrit Kaal”.

Sunil Bharti Mittal

Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman, Bharti Enterprises Limited

Two pillars are very important for IMC 2023. First is Digital India. We were truly inspired when the prime minister had given the clarion call for all of us to lift our game and support the Digital India vision. As India is building the hard infrastructure, which is being built at a feverish pa­ce, the prime minister recognises that if you provide tools to the citizens to lift the­ir lives, India could progress by leaps and bounds. Meanwhile, the Jam trinity, whi­ch was initiated by the prime minister, based on Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and Mobile, has gained global attention. All the na­tions are pondering on how to adopt digital public infrastructure as in India, in their countries. Country after country, in­cluding member nations of the World Bank, the United Nations, the World Tra­de Or­ga­­nization, the African Union, the Eu­­ro­pean Union, G20, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Develop­ment and BRICS, is admitting that the digital infrastructure built by India can accelerate the world economy, especially in these countries.

The second most important pillar is Make in India. Manufacturing in India has been gaining traction at a very fast pace. From Apple to Dixon, Samsung to Tata, all the companies, regardless of their size, be it a start-up or a multinational, are expecting India to be a world leader in terms of manufacturing. We had committed to rolling out 5G at the fastest pace possible, and I want to share that around 5,000 towns and 20,000 villages have access to Airtel 5G. We are progressing at a fast pace and as we promised, by March 2024, we would have covered the entire country with 5G network, making it the fastest 5G roll-out anywhere in the world. The prime minister made a call that the remaining villages in the country must be connected th­rough the internet by March 24, 2023. We will make every effort to do it. We are putting in a lot of effort along with the De­part­ment of Telecommunications (DoT) throu­gh the Universal Service Obligation Fund to cover the Northeast, border areas and difficult-to-connect villages.

“Two pillars are very important for IMC 2023. The first is Digital India, the second is Make in India.” Sunil Bharti Mittal

A new technology in the form of satellite communications is now available for our country. Satellite communication is here to serve every inch of our country and, of course, the globe. With the gover­nment’s intervention, we were able to get two rockets, geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle – Mark III from the Indian Space Research Organisation, to launch 72 satellites in 2022. Today, One Web constellation, in which Bharti Enterprises has the largest stake, is ready to serve the country. Anybody located anywhere in the country, however remote, or in difficult areas, can be connected from next month onwards from a satellite ground station that has been set up in Mehsana, Gujarat.

Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group

Kumar Mangalam Birla

At the outset, I want to thank the prime minister for his visionary leadership in driving India’s digital transformation. His commitment to digital inclusion is rooted in the principle of “Antyodaya”, which ai­ms to ensure that every citizen benefits from these initiatives. Given this appro­a­ch, it is no wonder that India’s digital evolution is gaining global recognition as a benchmark for promoting both digital transformation and inclusive growth. India has now clearly emerged as a champion for the Global Sou­th. Inspired by our prime minister’s vision, many countries in the Global South are now eager to adopt India’s path-breaking digital transformation in public infrastructure assets across identity payments and data management. Vi is committed to being a responsible pa­rtner in achieving the vision of our prime minister. Over the past year, the Vi team has worked diligently to prepare the core network for 5G deployment. The company management has focused on creating customer value to over 220 million citizens and thousands of enterprises by providing superior data and voice experience as well as building a differentiated digital experie­nce. Vi has successfully developed a range of advanced use cases poised to make a tangible difference across crucial sectors such as agriculture, infrastructure, automotive, logistics and many others. This encompasses the entire value chain of major enterprises and also of micro, small and medium enterprises, which we believe are engines for growth and employment that contribute significantly to India’s progress.

In the coming quarters, Vi will initiate significant investments in order to roll out 5G networks and further expand 4G coverage across the country. Moreover, the company is determined to realise the government’s vision of establishing a robust supply chain in critical and emerging areas, including open RAN. This endeavour will enable innovative Indian companies to design both hardware and software for the global markets. India’s digital ecosystem stands on the brink of unprecedented growth in the coming years with over 800 million broadband users, a number that is rapidly increasing by the day. The digital economy is being driven by the telecom sector. Today, India is actively engaging in the development of standards for future technologies in areas such as 6G.

“India’s digital ecosystem stands on the brink of unprecedented growth in the coming years.” Kumar Mangalam Birla