'Mobile Congress Will Project India's ICT Potential To The World'

Every year in February, experts and the cream of global and Indian telecom products and services, IT professionals and networking products marketing heads gather at the coastal Spanish city of Barcelona to watch the live demonstration of various products that are yet to make their debut on the applications side, learn to sell their new line-ups and services amidst tight competition in the price sensitive and similar products market and above all sense the new technology. Then there is also the Asian event called the Mobile Congress of Shanghai which too attracts geeks and companies from across the world. It is also the destination for Indian companies and tech heads. But this September onwards, things may change. The India Mobile Congress (IMC) promises to match these events if not to replace them. The Indian event has also its share of controversy over the active participation of the number one mobile operator, Airtel, as Bharati Group chief Sunil Mittal has been elected Chairman for two years of the global GSM body, GSM Association (GSMA), which is the organiser of the Mobile World Congress – MWC Barcelona – the IMC’s rival event. Nevertheless, it’s a start that appears to be promising , at the right and the only right place. In an exclusive interview with Bureaucracy Today India Mobile Congress CEO Ramakrishna P says the IMC is not just an event, it’s going to be a trendsetter in networking and business opportunities, new product launches and emerging trends in technology. And add to this, the Telecom Department and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology have been its principal supporters. It does not get better than this.

- Anjana Das

What is the Idea behind holding an Indian mobile event parallel to the MWC, Barcelona?

The India Mobile Congress-2017 provides opportunity to meet key decision makers from the industry and the Government. The theme of IMC 2017 is ‘Connecting the Next Billion’ where various panels and discussion forums would be addressing several topics under the four general categories of Technology, Business, Policy and Digital Life. The core idea behind holding the India Mobile Congress is to put together indigenous efforts in creating a platform of international stature where we can showcase the success stories of the Indian telecom sector to the world. Undoubtedly, Indian telecom market is one of the fastest growing markets in the world and it has a tremendous potential to attract more foreign investment and talent. So the IMC is being organised with the cohesive efforts of the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), the Department of Telecom and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to nurture untapped prospects.

So far how many companies and countries have confirmed their participation?