Marking the historic launch of 5G services in India by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the 6th edition of Asia’s largest telecom festival, India Mobile Congress 2022 today concluded with grand success here at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. Buoyed by popularity, interests and huge footfall, the grand annual event which was earlier scheduled for 3 days was extended for one more day. The 4^th day welcomed visitors who got a glimpse of cutting-edge technology and India’s transition to a 5G future.  Shri Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Shri PK Mishra, and Advisor to the Prime Minister  Shri Amit Khare graced the last day of IMC 2022 with their presence.

The festival is now posed to be launched on a global scale, said Hon’ble Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. He also urged to set up a committee to come up with a roadmap and format in the next 30 days. Jointly organised by the Department of Telecommunications and Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), IMC 2022 hosted 362 speakers, 13,500 participants in 80 sessions and over 1.07 lakh visitors including 7000 government officials from 150 PSUs and various other departments, 10 union ministers, 17 state ministers, 30 thousand students, and others. 239 stalls, and 1811 exhibitors registered their presence here from 1-4 October.

The 4-day long grand event this year was graced by the presence of dignitaries including Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of Communication, Electronics and Information Technology, Shri Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Shri Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines, Shri Devusinh Chauhan, Minister of State for Communications, Shri Mukesh Ambani, CMD, Reliance Industries, Shri Sunil Bharti Mittal, CEO, Bharti Enterprises, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairperson, Aditya Birla Group, among others.

IMC 2022 showcased developments and efforts around 5G technology in India and how they can contribute in the digital transformation by making communication, connection and commerce seamless. During the event, PM Modi virtually spoke with the students of Ropad Primary School in Ahmedabad on benefits of 5G technology in education. He interacted with workers at Vodafone Idea Dwarka Tunnel with 5G technology on current challenges and how 5G technology is going to transform their lives. He also interacted with a hologram avatar of a girl student from a Varanasi school about the advantages of 5G and her experience of studying in augmented reality.

During his address to a session held here, Union Minister for Communications, Electronics & Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw, announced Indian Government is going to set up 100 5G labs across the country. He added the Indian Government is working significantly towards simplifying the license regime for all telecom players and urged the telecom industry to convert a minimum 12 of these labs into incubators to train students, promote innovation, research and experiment. Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal also visited the exhibition and lauded efforts of researchers, private organisations, startups and others in their contribution towards India’s digital transformation.

The 6th edition of IMC 2022 hosted top leaders of telecom and tech companies, policymakers, thought-leaders, academicians, and others. The speakers shared their views on the future of 5G development and its large-scale implementation in the country. It also witnessed discussion on challenges, efforts and opportunities in the 5G arena which can contribute in creating a robust technology ecosystem in India.

IMC 2022 organised insightful and thought-provoking sessions titled ‘New Digital Universe’, ‘Decoding the potential of Digital Bharat’, ‘Skilling India for new 5G paradigm, Towards 5G and Advanced 6G- an international conference, ‘Global CEO Conclave: Steering India to the new digital universe,’ ‘Global CTO Conclave: Building a connected ecosystem for next Techade’ and many others.

The endeavors of IMC are aligned with the vision of Digital India and promoting Made-in-India technology to address the challenges in areas of commerce, healthcare, education, communication and financial inclusion. Since its inception, IMC has been actively promoting India’s strength and position as a global hub for manufacturing technology products. It is further highlighting the role of startups, small-scale industries in the new digital universe to deliver best in class service, equipment, and applications. PM Modi lauded the efforts of IMC for bringing the digital ecosystem together and providing a great platform for dialogues and endeavors on digitalization, technology, nation building, industrial revolution and taking government services to doorsteps.

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RKJ/BK