Rural to Urban Connectivity A Core Goal of India Mobile Congress 2022

Sixth edition of Indian Mobile Congress, IMC 2022, started on 1st of October 2022 and will end on 4th October. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Saturday, inaugurated the event at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.

India Mobile Congress (IMC) is organised by the Mobipro Innovation Pvt. Ltd. and is the largest telecom, media, and technology forum in Asia, jointly organized by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI).

This is sixth time when this event is organised and attendee this year includes major names like Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman of Aditya Birla Group, Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder and Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, Mukesh Ambani, Chairman Reliance Industries limited, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for Communications, Electronics Information Technology, Government of India.

Focus on Rural Development

STL (Sterlite Technologies), on 3rd October, launched the Gram Galaxy solution at IMC 2022 to accelerate last-mile rural connectivity and village digitalisation. This Gram Galaxy solution will uses open-source data with Aritficial Intelligence and Geographic Information System databases to enable first-time-right design and detailed Bill of Materials.

Gram Galaxy will also include a comprehensive optical cable suite which will connect villages with weather-resistant aerial cables. STL will also help in skill development with the help of skilling initiatives for youths. It will open more academies, focused on creating a skilled talent pool, for technologies like 5G, fibre blowing, cable preparation, and splicing.

The initiative has already trained more than 1, 00,000 professionals on 5G and 600 Border Security Force personnel on fibre splicing.

The Prime Minister, while launching the event, highlighted the importance of Make in India, in terms of Smartphones and other accessories. He also said that the launch of 5G services in India is a "historic event for 21st century India" and it will surely help in revolutionising the country's telecom sector.

The Prime Minister said that the vision Atmanirbhar Bharat will help to grow the economy. He mentioned the reduction in the number of devices being imported till 2024 and how growing numbers of manufacturing units have helped to reduce the number of imports being done.

"Until 2014, we used to import 100 per cent of our mobile phones because there were only two manufacturing units. That's why we decided to become 'Atmanirbhar' in this particular area. We now have 200 mobile phone manufacturing units and proudly hold second position in the world in terms of mobile manufacturing,” the Prime Minister noted.

Sensorise SenseIT Energy IoT devices

India Mobile Congress, Day two witnessed technological leap with launch of 5G and indigenous use cases. Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for Communications, Electronics & Information Technology and Railways, Government of India, launched ‘Sensorise SenseIT Energy Multi Access IoT Device (MAID)’, at Sensorise & Rosmerta’s booth.

Make in India IoT solution launched under Atmanirbhar Bharat drive of government, showcasing Indian technical competencies harmonised to global standards.

The minister also inaugurated the VoICE Atmanirbhar Pavilion, comprising 22 member companies.

Vijaya Kamath, Chief Technology Officer, Sensorise said, “Internet of Things will enable use-cases in multiple industry verticals and will be a true enabler for industry 4.0. Sensorise with its Remote Provisionable eSIM and MAID device is uniquely positioned to synergise with the M2M ecosystem.”

Karn Nagpal, President, Rosmerta Group, said, “The launch of 5G in Indian Mobile Congress 2022 has reinforced our strategy of communications fuelling the rapid adoption of M2M IoT across industry verticals. Sensorise & Rosmerta Group are uniquely poised to fulfil this vision.”

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, while addressing the IMC 2022, made remarks on how the whole process of 5G launch will be initiated. "We will ensure the barriers are removed in a quick manner. After the Telecom Bill is enacted, we will be simplifying the license regime, we will come with license reforms," Minister Vaishnaw said.

He also said that the government will take all the necessary steps to remove all barriers for the industry. He said that all such steps by the government along with the support of industry will help the country to become the telecom capital of the world. "I am sure India will become telecom capital of the world, and India will become telecom technology leader," Ashwini Vaishnaw said.

This 5G launch covers only four selected cities and will gradually reach the entire country over the following few years. In India, 5G will be introduced in Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata. It is planned to be available throughout India by 2023. Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director - Reliance Industries Limited., has confirmed that 5G will be accessible in every "taluka" by December 2023. It will be available in urban areas after Diwali, which is towards the end of this month. The total economic effect of 5G on India is expected to be USD 450 billion by 2035.

A New 5G phone by LAVA

The Indian market has seen a number of 5G smartphones. Smartphone manufacturer Lava International became the latest to add itself to the list. ‘Lava Blaze 5G’ was launched on the third day of India Mobile Congress (IMC 2022) by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

The phone will be available in the market by Dipawali. However, there are no updates of pricing of this phone but the company claims that it is a budget friendly option.

5G Router Started

IoT major Invendis and Semiconductor maker Mediatek have strategically partnered to roll out 5G Wi-Fi router solutions.

CEO of Invendis, Satish Kulkarni commented on the partnership and said that it would helop enabling comprehensive portfolio of solutions and significant manufacturing capabilities in India. “We are thrilled to launch our 5G and Wi-Fi routers which would help consumers and enterprise customers to provide secure, strong and seamless wireless networking solutions”, said Satish.

Managing Director, MediaTek India, Anku Jain “MediaTek’s complete range of Networking and Connectivity solutions is equipped to address dynamic customer requirements be it home, commercial or enterprise applications”.

Vodafone-Idea Showing the 5G

Another big thing that could be seen at IMC 2022 was Vodafone-Idea’s way of showcasing the applications of the 5G network. To demonstrate what can be done with the help of 5G network VI has partnered up with several companies.

According to Akshaya Moondra, CEO, Vodafone Idea Limited, “Vi is ready for the next journey of growth with 5G technology, where a connected world with limitless digital solutions will soon be the new norm. Vi 5G technology solutions showcase a whole new world of limitless possibilities across various domains, promising a new era of technology advancement in India. With the progressive roll out of Vi 5G network and services over the next few years, I am confident that our 5G solutions will bring a better tomorrow that will transform customer experience, enhance business performance, and positively impact people, driving digital economy growth in the country.”