India Mobile Congress 2026 to mark 10th edition in October

Union Minister for Communications and Development of the North Eastern Region, Jyotiraditya M  Scindia, announced the dates for the 2026 edition of India Mobile Congress at Mobile World Congress Barcelona. The event is scheduled to take place from 7–10 October 2026 in New Delhi.

Organised by the Department of Telecommunications under the Ministry of Communications, in partnership with the Cellular Operators Association of India, the forum is expected to bring together policymakers, industry representatives, enterprises, startups and investors from more than 100 countries. Members of the GSMA Board are also expected to participate.

During the announcement, IMC and GSMA signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at strengthening collaboration around the 2026 edition. The agreement focuses on enhancing international participation, facilitating leadership engagements and encouraging knowledge exchange between global industry stakeholders. It also seeks to support discussions on emerging priorities in telecommunications, digital infrastructure and connectivity.

In his remarks, Scindia noted that India is the world’s second-largest telecom market, with more than 1.2 billion mobile connections and significant growth in data usage over the past decade. He also highlighted developments such as the country’s rapid 5G rollout and the development of an indigenous cloud-native 4G stack designed to be upgradeable to 5G.

Focus on Global Collaboration and Emerging Technologies 

The 2026 edition of the forum will mark the tenth anniversary of the event. Organisers expect more than 150,000 attendees, participation from over 300 exhibitors and partners, and the presentation of around 1,500 technology use cases.

The event will feature discussions and demonstrations across a range of technology areas, including 5G and 6G connectivity, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, electronics manufacturing, quantum computing, cybersecurity, satellite communications, deep-tech, clean technologies, smart mobility, Industry 4.0 and enterprise transformation.

Julian Gorman, Head of Asia Pacific at GSMA, said the organisation’s involvement will focus on bringing together operators and industry leaders to support collaboration and knowledge sharing across the global telecom ecosystem.

Abhijit Kishore, Chairman of COAI, said the forum has evolved since its launch in 2017 into a platform for dialogue between industry and government on the role of technology and connectivity in national development.

The IMC startup programme, ASPIRE Startup Programme, is expected to host more than 400 startups and over 300 investors, incubators, accelerators and venture capital firms. The programme will include investor meetings, mentorship sessions, startup pitches and networking activities.

According to the organisers, the previous edition of India Mobile Congress, held in October 2025, recorded more than 150,000 attendees, over 400 partners and exhibitors from more than 100 countries, and more than 1,600 technology demonstrations. It also hosted over 100 conference sessions featuring more than 800 speakers from India and abroad.