Dr Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, Minister of State for Communications and Minister of State for Rural Development hosted a meeting with technology (tech) leaders at sidelines of International Telecommunication Union (ITU)- World Telecom Standardisation Assembly (WTSA-24) and India Mobile Congress (IMC-24) in New Delhi.
The gathering offered an open forum for chief technological officers (CTOs) to discuss challenges they face and explore potential solutions. Dr Pemmasani also shared insights on various government initiatives and encouraged attendees to share their suggestions for collaboratively shaping the future of telecommunications.
The meeting was attended by CTOs and industry leaders from prominent telecom companies and start-ups including Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea Limited (Vi), Ericsson, Qualcomm, STL, Altera, Edge-Core, Astrome, and Easiofy.
Commenting on the next phase of India’s telecom journey, Dr Pemmasani said, “India’s telecom story is one of transformation. A decade ago, we were merely a service delivery market. Today, we are leading in 5G, internet of things (IoT) ecosystems, and indigenous tech manufacturing. New India has moved from ‘Made for India’ to ‘Made by India’”. He credited this transformation to the visionary leadership of prime minister’s commitment to self-reliance through ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ mission. “His unwavering pursuit of excellence, combined with policies encouraging innovation, entrepreneurship, and indigenous capabilities, has empowered India to emerge as a global leader,” he stated.”
Dr Pemmasani also highlighted various initiatives taken by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to bolster the Indian telecom ecosystem and spoke about Telecom Technology Development Fund to promote indigenous design, development, prototyping, and commercialisation of advanced telecom technologies. With an annual budget of $60 million, the fund supports projects in 5G, 6G, IoT, and one machine-to-machine (M2M). It has funded multiple initiatives, including 100 5G labs nationwide.
Additionally, he discussed the steps taken to boost domestic manufacturing, investment, and exports in telecom and networking products, notably the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme in 2021. With a $1.4 billion outlay over five years, the scheme offers additional incentive for companies investing in indigenous research and development. It has already attracted over $450 million in investments and generated around $6 billion in sales.
Further, he congratulated telecom leaders on their efforts to advance the telecom industry, stating “Your work ensures that networks are not just infrastructure but powerful enablers of digital inclusion, economic growth, and technological sovereignty.”
Furthermore, he urged leaders to focus on bringing next-gen technologies like edge computing and quantum communications from ‘lab to life’. He highlighted, “This is our opportunity to lead the rollout of 6G and create partnerships that will unlock new business models for Industry 4.0 and smart cities.”
Meanwhile, industry leaders emphasised the need to have more use cases for 5G including for narrowband IoTs. They also stressed on the enhanced backhaul fiberisation of tower.
