India Mobile Congress

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India Mobile Congress
GenreDigital Technologies and Telecommunication
VenuePragati Maidan
Location(s)Pragati Maidan, New Delhi
CountryIndia
Inaugurated2017; 7 years ago (2017)
Most recent27 October 2023
Attendance70,000
Organized byCOAI and DoT
Websitewww.indiamobilecongress.com

The India Mobile Congress (IMC) is a digital technologies' forum in Asia consisting of a three-day international conference and a technology exhibition. The event is envisioned to be the "leading platform for India's start-up and technology ecosystem."[1] Within the telecommunications and technology industry, IMC is claimed to be the "largest digital technology forum in Asia."[2] The event is organised jointly by the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) of the Government of India.[3] The forum aims to be a platform for industry, businesses, regulators and policymakers to discuss and deliberate on critical issues affecting the growth of the telecom and technology sector.[4] In its first two iterations, the IMC focused on transformative 5G technology and most of the booths showcased various use-cases and scenarios where 5G would play an important role; the exhibitors included service providers, OEMs and infrastructure providers.[5]

Organizers[edit]

India Mobile Congress is jointly organized by the Department of Telecommunications of the Government of India and the Cellular Operators Association of India.

Department of Telecommunications[edit]

The Department of Telecommunications is a department of the Ministry of Communications of the Government of India. The department was formed to ensure reliable, affordable and high-quality telecommunications services in the country that could facilitate accelerated and inclusive socio-economic development.[6]

Cellular Operators Association of India[edit]

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) is a registered non-governmental society, constituted in 1995, for the advancement of modern communication and successful proliferation of mobile networks throughout India. COAI is an official voice of the Indian telecom industry and aims to present an industry consensus to the Government on issues related to the Indian telecom industry.[7]

Past Events[edit]

Starting in 2017, the India Mobile Congress has been held annually. It took place in India 27-29 September in 2017, 25-27 October in 2018, and 14-16 October in 2019; IMC 2020 and IMC 2021 were both held virtually 8-10 December.

India Mobile Congress 2017[edit]

India Mobile Congress 2017 was held from 27 September 2017 to 29 September 2017 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. This was the first iteration of the globally recognized event and saw the participation of 2000 delegates, 32000 visitors, 152 speakers, 100 start-ups and 100 exhibitors.[8] IMC 2017 was inaugurated by Manoj Sinha, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Communications.[9] Some of the notable speakers at the event included:[9]

India Mobile Congress 2017 was dubbed "the country's first and biggest ever, platform to bring together all stakeholders from Telecom, Internet & Mobility ecosystem along with Information and Communication Technology players, app developers, innovators and start-ups."[10] Exhibitors included Telecom Service Providers, handset manufacturers, Internet giants, ISPs, Global technology players, AI & VR companies, Mobility leaders, Academia, Start-ups and app providers.[10]

India Mobile Congress 2018[edit]

India Mobile Congress 2018 was held on 25 October 2018 through 27 October 2018 at Aerocity, New Delhi. The event inaugurated by Manoj Sinha, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Communications. The keynote address was delivered by Youngky Kim, President and Head of Networks Business at Samsung Electronics.[11] The theme for IMC 2018 was "New Digital Horizons Connect, Create, Innovate".[12]

The event venue was spread over 50,000 square meters of space and participants included:[13]

  • 50,000+ visitors
  • 20 countries
  • 5000+ international delegates
  • 300 companies showcasing their latest products and innovations
  • 10 supporting ministries

India Mobile Congress 2019[edit]

India Mobile Congress 2019 was held on 14 October 2019 to 16 October 2019 at Aerocity, New Delhi. Jointly organised by the Department of Telecommunications and the Cellular Operators Association of India, with support from Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. The theme for IMC 2019 was "Imagine: a new CONNECTED world; Intelligent. Immersive. Inventive.” The event was inaugurated by Sh. Ravi Shankar Prasad. IMC 2019's participants included more than 50 countries and telecom giants, OEMs, system integrators, technology experts, industry analysts, government officials, young professionals, startups and students.

Technology & Innovation[edit]

The focus area for IMC 2019 was 5G, with more than 50 5G demos (use cases) showcased over three days. A number of companies including Ericsson, Huawei, Airtel, Vodafone Idea, Jio, Nokia, Qualcomm and ZTE showcased unique 5G use cases. Apart from 5G, other focus areas included smart cities, internet of things (IoT) and logistics. Dubbed the biggest digital technology platform in Asia, IMC 2019 had 60,000 square metres of total event area and a footfall of 75,278 over three days, generating over 1.4 billion impressions recorded across various social media platforms.

Startups[edit]

More than 250 startups were a part of IMC 2019. To aid startups, the IMC collaborated with Accelerating Growth of New India's Innovations, Invest India, Startup India and Nalco to organise a Grand Innovation Challenge to recognise the best innovations by Indian startups. Notable speakers at the event included:

India Mobile Congress 2020[edit]

IMC 2020 was a virtual event that had roughly 27,213 attendees, including national and international delegates, over 170 partners, exhibitors and start-ups and more than 196 thought leaders. Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi performed the opening address. This event had more than 1.16 billion digital media impressions and 1.9 million video downloads over the span of three days.

India Mobile Congress 2021[edit]

IMC 2021 was a virtual event that had roughly 23,118 attendees, again including national and international delegates, over 218 partners, exhibitors and start-ups and more than 226 thought leaders. This event had more than 1.06 billion digital media impressions and 1.42 million video downloads over the span of three days.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Verma, Shubham (24 October 2018). "India Mobile Congress 2018 kicks off October 25: 5G to be the next big thing for India". Financial Express. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  2. ^ "India Mobile Congress". Nokia. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
  3. ^ "India Mobile Congress 2018 Scheduled for October 25-27". NDTV Gadgets 360. 14 April 2018. Retrieved 2019-03-05.
  4. ^ "India Mobile Congress 2022 Scheduled for October 01-04, 2022 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi". NDTV Gadgets 360. 14 April 2018. Retrieved 2019-03-05.
  5. ^ "IMC 2018 paints an optimistic 5G-ready future but is India really ready for it? | Digit.in". Digit. 26 October 2018. Retrieved 2019-03-05.
  6. ^ "Vision & Mission | Department of Telecommunications | Ministry of Communication | Government of India". dot.gov.in. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
  7. ^ "About Us | Cellular Operators Association of India". www.coai.com. Archived from the original on 2019-07-22. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
  8. ^ "3-day India Mobile Congress 2018 Concludes". www.latestgkgs.com. Retrieved 2019-03-05.
  9. ^ a b Dhoot, Vikas (2017-09-27). "Who said what at the India Mobile Congress". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2019-03-05.
  10. ^ a b Bureau, BW Online. "India Mobile Congress: South Asia's Largest Mobile Exhibition Launched". BW Businessworld. Retrieved 2019-03-05.
  11. ^ Arora, Hitesh (2018-10-26). "IMC 2018 Day 1 Highlights: 5G for India by 2020, new Realme phone coming, Samsung 5G trial and more". BGR India. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
  12. ^ "India Mobile Congress 2018 Day 1 highlights: India's road to 5G development discussed". Tech2. 2018-10-25. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
  13. ^ ""3-day India Mobile Congress 2018 concludes; showcasing the latest and the best in digital communications technologies, products, services, and applications; and establishing the future horizons for the digital communications sector in the country": Manoj". Indian Television Dot Com. 2018-10-27. Retrieved 2019-03-06.