TLF 2023 Conference Highlights: Future of Mobile Economy

With 5G comes a wide range of innovative new services, ushering in a new age in the Mobile Economy.

With the theme of Future of Mobile Economy, India's oldest and most prestigious communication magazine, Voice&Data, hosted the 22nd iteration of its signature "Telecom Leadership Forum" (TLF). Industry leaders used the forum as a forum to talk about changes in the communications industry, with a focus on broadband, bandwidth, spectrum, security, 5G infrastructure, edge computing, sensor-based ecosystem, satellite and M2M connectivity, and Industry 4.0.

During the 22nd Telecom Leadership Forum the Jury members and Editors of Voice&Data magazine all announced the most deserving achievers of the year. 

Aditya Khaitan, Partner, Digital Customer & Marketing, Deloitte India, presented industry trends and forecast. What's next in telecom? Broadband satellites will need to navigate a crowded sky. India has also introduced the $99 smartphone. 5G standalone networks transform enterprise connectivity. In semiconductors, we have AI in chip design, supercharged semiconductors, and radiation-hardened chips that take nuclear energy and space to new heights.

LEOs can bring high-speed Internet to every corner of the world, provided they stay out of each other's way. Broadband satellite will need to navigate a crowded sky. India's broadband service market should be worth $1.9 billion by 2030. 36% CAGR growth is predicted.

Most 5G networks are hybrid. 5G SA allows MNOs to provide enterprise customers access to high performance connectivity, etc. 5G SA networks can transform enterprise connectivity. 2-4 years is the typical time taken by telcos to transition from NSA to SA mode. Three approaches for CNPN as a service can be leveraged by telcos. 

Semiconductor companies are using AI to better design chips faster, cheaper, and more efficiently. Manufacturers are expected to spend $300 million for designing chips in 2023. That will grow by 20% annually for the next four years, to $500 million by 2026. AI tools shine in physical circuit design, etc. Indian semiconductor industry is expected to reach $55 billion by 2026.

Chips made of GaN and SiC will sell combined $3.3 billion in 2023, up almost 40% from 2022. BEVs will use these more. Growth will accelerate to 60% by 2024, with over $5 billion revenues. 

We are also seeing battle for enterprise edge. We will have 150 billion connected devices by 2026 transferring 175ZB of data. Many players -- hyperscalers, CSPs, equipment manufacturers, platform providers, and others, are scrambling for a piece of the pie. Growth in enterprise edge will be 22%.

Automotive and retail are expected to grab most of the use cases. We expect unconventional alliances. We are also making a deal -- in gaming. This year's larger deals will seek to acquire audiences and IP. Smaller deals will focus more on technologies and Web3 solutions. The continued strength in deal volume underscores gaming's importance to the broader media and entertainment industry. 

SaaS and agritech will emerge as key investment themes from a TMT standpoint in India. Investments in SaaS and agritech are expected to outpace the growth in traditional technology investments.

Mobile drives Internet growth

Uma Shankar Pandey, Member (Services), DoT, GoI, presented the keynote. He was posted in Odisha back in 1988. DoT was the monopoly. Today, technology has come up very fast. India is the second-largest market after China. We have millions of mobile devices. They provide access to various services. It also supports large number of skilled people. India is also expected to benefit largely from 5G services. 

Growth of the Internet via access through mobile has been huge. More and more people are engaging via the Internet. Rise of mobile commerce is also leading to rise in digital payments. Mobile is transforming the way businesses operate in India. There are thousands of apps for you to choose. They are also generating employment.

Edge computing is playing a crucial role today. We are also seeing sensor-based ecosystem. Industry 4.0 is expected to shape the future of mobile economy. As mobile continues to evolve, we will see significant improvements across businesses. They will increase their reach in the markets. 

We still have connectivity challenges, especially in rural areas. Access to high-speed broadband is limited, or not there. Security and piracy are also some issues. It is creating hurdles in digital divide. These challenges are also creating jobs. Government is taking steps to meet the challenges. It is promoting the manufacturing sector.

DoT recently launched a project. Around 25,000 villages have no network. We will provide 4G services. 2G/3G networks will be upgraded to 4G. States like Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, are having less services. We are taking initiatives there. We are also extending mobile connectivity by adding 2,000+ towers to cover the North-East region. 

We are also looking at job creation. There will be 10 million jobs required for 4G and 5G in the future. 3 lakh people are required for rolling out 5G. TSSC is imparting training, with DoT. 

The Government is also working with state governments for training. We are ensuring that people are also deployed. We are also looking at RoW. We are coming up with a policy. The price cannot be exorbitant.

Getting permission for the forest area can be challenging. State governments are looking at creating favourable policies. We did the first case for Madhya Pradesh, and other states followed. We are also ensuring that the country remains secure.

AI-based scanning is now being done. We are catching many fraudsters using that. Aadhar number and digital KYC are being used. We have collected huge data. We are securing the data. Data is being taken from the gateway. It is shared with departments where cyberattacks are likely to happen. We are trying to secure the country over voice and data.

We also have IoT devices. We are developing National Trust Centre. We can monitor IoT systems. Call spoofing is also being monitored. We are also designing a system for call spoofing. Numbers are also getting misused of people travelling outside India. We are taking necessary action there. We are also coming up with a National Firewall. It can be a reality by the end of 2023.

The PM also presented the 6G Vision document recently. People will be working in private and government sectors. We can fund programs partially, or fully.

Future of mobile economy

The first panel discussion looked at the future of the mobile economy. The participants were Akhil Gupta, Vice Chairman, Bharti Enterprises, P Balaji, Chief Regulatory & Corporate Affairs Officer, Vodafone India, and Ravi Gandhi, President and Chief Public Policy & Regulatory Officer, Reliance Jio and Retail.  The session was moderated by Pradeep Gupta, CMD, Cybermedia.

Pradeep Gupta, Cybermedia, said that five years ago, there were talks around RoW, treating the industry as a cash cow, etc. The pandemic changed lot of things. The relation between government and industry happened, and that had significant impact. There are three trends - 5G, satellite communications, and enterprise.

Akhil Gupta, Bharti Enterprises, said that satellite communications is a great place to be in. LEO constellations are now developing. Cost per GB on 4G is higher. When next-gen LEO comes in, cost will get slashed. Lot of complementary services will come in between satellite and terrestrial. This sector is going to see some insightful growth.

P Balaji, Vodafone India, talked about enterprise connectivity. Enterprise is an area rife with opportunity. It will only go up with the advent of 5G. We are working on interesting pilots for factory automation. Virtualization and digitization have now come in. It can help in monetization of investment in 5G. Enterprises can benefit from this. We see great future for enterprises.

Ravi Gandhi, Reliance Jio and Retail, talked about 5G. We are rolling out the fastest networks in the world. We are waiting for use cases to come up. Latency can support lot of verticals. Revenue will come from other sources. There will be growth of the economy. 

5G will have different types of use cases. There are AI/ML, IoT, etc., that will drive revenue. The convergence at network and service layers is also happening. There can be boundaryless networks very soon. The driver of economy will be the device in your hand. There will be different level of accessibility. Our penetration in lower levels of the country is also very high than any other country.

Balaji, Vodafone India, said we are working like an industry. The government saw that the industry was in stress. Vodafone is now in the right place. We are on the job. Equity funding has taken place. We are grateful to the government. We now need to be decisive in what needs to be done.

Gupta, Bharti, also talked about the infrastructure. India can be proud of its digital infrastructure. There is great determination to make things happen. 5G is rolled out, and 6G will also roll out on the same infrastructure. Tremendous work has been done by the infrastructure providers. Many more micro cells will be coming up. BSNL may also be involved. We have all been through tough times. We can also share infrastructure.

To thrive, we also need to increase the ARPU. We introduced 5G, and people are consuming more data. 5G use cases are not a problem. We need to charge more by providing 5G services in slightly larger packages. Return on capital employed has been pathetic.

P Balaji, Vodafone India, said return of capital has been low. Use cases will come. We need to do more collaborative work. We need to stitch up more partnerships.

Gandhi, Reliance Jio, said lot of capex cycle will go into 5G. RoI will be critical for the telecom sector, and the sectors dependant on that. It is important that the telecom industry remains very healthy.

Where would the next opportunity in sharing come in? Gupta, Bharti, said we need to share the infrastructure. Next round will be in fiber. Capacity will be with some network companies. Edge data centres, fiber, etc., may be next. Regarding policy changes, he said something has been done in spectrum charges, but not enough. GST of 18% on telecom services should be reduced. Spectrum has not been handled well. He added that we also need to upskill human skills. 

Regarding AI, Balaji, Vodafone India, said we are creating data lakes, and adding AI/ML. We are ensuring the human face. We are unlearning and relearning. Regarding future opportunities, Gandhi, Reliance Jio, TSPs cannot be a carrier always. We need to create better use cases. That's where the opportunities lie!

Satcom needs to catch up!

Satellite-based communication networks was delivered by Lt Gen. AK Bhatt, Director-General, ISpA. He said that we need to catch up with the world for the last 25 years. We work in close coordination with ISRO, IN-SPACe and NSIL. We are allowing private sector freedom of innovation. Government is playing the role of an enabler. We are preparing the next-generation of space.

In broadband connectivity, 63% of India is still not connected, or done poorly. There is non-availability of optical fibre networks in rural areas. Satellite provides connectivity from the air.

Satellite is a co-traveller with terrestrial communication. It is critical to overcome the digital divide. We need enabling regulations, such as TDF/USOF funds. 

Allocation of spectrum should be administered authorization, and not action. Multiple users share same spectrum. It will affect growth of the nascent space industry, especially new players. Indian Space Policy 2023 may be out within this week. The policy aims to augment space capabilities, to enable, encourage, and develop, a flourishing space industry. It will use space as the driver of technology. ISRO will focus on developing technologies. 

Sections for private sector are now available. The policy aims to encourage NGEs for space-based communications. You can establish GSO/NGSO, establish ground stations for TT&C and SSC. Role of DoS in satcom promotion include communication needs of strategic users, etc. We also need to be supported by the telecom industry.

Customers growing in multiple ways

Aveek Roy, VP of International Sales, Sangoma, said that there are changing demographics and consumption. Video is driving the surge in mobile data traffic. The past 2-3 years have made people get used to it. Business communication traffic is more than voice today. Webinars and web meetings are today at a high of 55%. We are defining a new normal for business communication driven by data. We are also seeing advanced CRM apps getting into the systems. 

Customers are also growing in multiple ways. These can be via multiple services over multiple locations. Sangoma has collaboration tools for various CRM apps. Sangoma offers UCaaS, CcaaS, MaaS, COLaaS, etc. Possibility comes using VoIP and cloud telephony. Each enterprise is different – the choice is yours.

Mid-band spectrum to augment 5G and beyond

Mid-band spectrum to augment 5G and beyond was presented by Ashish Garg, Spectrum & Policy, South Asia & APAC, GSMA. 237 operators have launched 5G services in 91 markets. India was the 88^th market that launched 5G. Apac is estimated to lead by 2030. With 3 billion 5G connections, over 50% connections will be from Apac region. ~58% connections will be from 5G. 

In India, 5G will account for about 40% of total connections by 2030. 5G will be key enabler in enterprise digital transformation processes. Manufacturing, retail, and agriculture, will see most benefit from 5G. There will be need for more 5G spectrum to support development.

5G spectrum needs are in sub1GHz, lower mid bands in 1.5-2.6GHz, and upper mid bands, such as 3.5GHz, 4.8GHz, and 6GHz. Mid-band spectrum is at the heart of 5G. Mid bands are preferred for 5G rollouts globally. 3.5GHz accounts for majority of 5G network launches. 

5G will generate an additional $961 billion globally by 2030. Mid-band spectrum in 1-7GHz range is necessary for increases in bandwidth. 2GHz spectrum is needed for 5G for each market by 2030. IMT-2020 requirements are at risk with less spectrum. More base stations will be needed. Base stations may account for 1.8-2.9x higher carbon footprint with less spectrum. 2GHz can be challenging to achieve without 6GHz. 

6GHz is the largest remaining block of spectrum. It offers contiguous bandwidth for all MNOs. It has support for important band for future 5G development by mobile operators. Demand will be driven by fixed wireless access (FWA), smart cities, and mobile broadband. The outlook for the 6GHz band is robust. Device and infrastructure solutions can operate in the band, just like any other. Key players in device component are ready to develop solutions. eMBB services, FWA, URLLC, IoT for enterprise, and users’ IoT for consumer users are among the use cases.

Mid band is now the preferred choice for 5G rollout and future expansion. Governments are also considering 6GHz for mid-band needs. Pan-India rollout of 5G will happen by the end of 2023, and that will be with 6GHz.

Redefining telcos enterprise customer experience 

There was the second panel discussion around redefining the telcos enterprise customer experience.

The participants were Arun Karna, MD and CEO, AT&T India, Dharmender Khajuria, National Head, Network Partnership, Airtel, Himanshu Gupta, Country Manager, Telecom, Media & Entertainment (CME), HPE, Ms. Sheena Joseph, National Head-Customer, Enterprise Business, Vi, and Tilak Raj Dua, Director General, DIPA. Anil Chopra, VP and Head, Cybermedia Research was the moderator.

Arun Karna, AT&T India, said rapid change has done wonders for the enterprise. They have been distributed and expanded to the edge. There is need to provide access to the enterprises in the multi-cloud and hybrid cloud environments. You also need to couple this with the rising customer experiences. CSPs are now competitors to telcos. They are becoming network-centric technology providers. You now need to rethink relationships. Your services should be intuitive to use. You can offer VAS, such as IoT and data analytics. There will be speed of retail at the class of enterprise.

Dharmender Khajuria, Airtel, said there are different types of enterprises. That makes it very complex to serve them. Connectivity is the backbone. Connectivity needs to be reliable! Next comes cost! Finally, comes customer service.

With 3S, first comes security. Enterprises deal with consumer data that needs to be protected. Next comes scalability. They need to be connected via radio or fibre. Finally, comes customer support. You cannot expect a simple flip-flop! This is a complex situation. Edge computing also needs to happen. Data needs to reside at the edge. Telcos will have to partner with SIs to help them. 

Himanshu Gupta, HPE, stated that ETSI, Europe, looked at aspects that can make the life easier for customers. Hybrid computing is used with edge computing. App developers get cloud computing capabilities at the edge of the network. All efforts are going on to make standards easy for use. Hybrid computing is important for telcos. 

Multi-access edge computing (MEC) is a type of network architecture that provides cloud computing capabilities and an IT service environment at the edge of the network. The goal of MEC is to reduce latency, ensure highly efficient network operation and service delivery, and improve the customer experience.

Gupta said MEC is meant for everyone. They can look to launch services. When monetizing your business, you also need help from the government. Lot of good work has happened globally. It is an evolving field. People are also looking at private 5G. 

Karna, AT&T India, added that 5G is about low latency. There needs to be an ecosystem. Khajuria, Airtel, noted whether 5G can adopt MEC.

Ms. Sheena Joseph, Vi, noted that given the variety of solutions being present, the plethora of data is vast. You can now build solutions for customers. You should be ready with solutions for optimizing the network. You can use mean-time before failures (MTBF) to build network insights. Enterprises are all about customizing solutions. Connected cars data can give us lot of insights. Data, and enormous packets of that, can give you lot of action points. We also need to build proper use cases.

Khajuria, Airtel, added there are large number of data points. You can predict behaviour of the customer, and engage with the customers. Telcos have all data points that can help the enterprise.

Tilak Raj Dua, Director General, DIPA, said there is some disconnect between customer service and customer experience. You need to meet all the challenges. Customer expectation is rising day-by-day. We now need to provide end-to-end customer experience. Technology evolution has made it even more challenging. The backend is also going to be important. We need to engage the customers with new technologies, as well. We can do predictive maintenance, and prediction. 

Ms. Joseph, Vi, said we are supporting digitization. The entire range of solutions for an enterprise is the USP for the telcos.

Gupta, HPE, said that we have a vision of everything-as-a-service. Edge, data, and cloud are the three areas. We have the right data management platform. HP GreenLake cloud platform can orchestrate different resources such as compute, storage, network, etc. Simplification is a very big element for HPE. We can build a platform for customers. Every element needs to be smartly managed.

TR Dua, DIPA, said that we have made huge investments in customer experience. Khajuria, Airtel, noted that telcos can help in the strategizing stage. It all boils down to delivery and assurance. The network should also be always up and running.

Karna, AT&T India, stated that no one understands the customer better than the telco. It is the closest in the digital transformation journey. Gupta, HPE, added that we need to have the right partnerships. There can be monetization done. 

Growth of broadband infrastructure in 5G era

The next panel discussion was around growth of mobile infrastructure in the 5G era. 

The participants were Anil Jain, CEO, NIXI, Rashim Kapoor, Executive VP & Hub CTO, Airtel, Pankaj Kitchlu, Systems Engineering Director, Juniper Networks, Dr. SN Gupta, Chairman of the Board, Bluetown India & BIMSTEC, South Asia, and Umang Das, Umang Das, Chairman, FIIF and Advisor, RANext. Rajat Mukarji, DG, BIF, was the moderator.

Anil Jain, NIXI, said that the Internet Exchange may be a new concept. ISPs will get connected. We can get information from Google. They come and use the NIXI platform. We have been reducing latency, and cost is delivered back to the customer. 

NIXI has 74 Internet Exchanges in rural and semi-urban centres. Digital education should be available in rural India also. We plan to have a data superhighway, and to have advantage of digital growth in the country, with free of cost provision to rural areas. We are a work economy. Data superhighway needs a super infrastructure. People who cannot afford that, should not be kept away. IP addresses are key. We provide IPv4 and IPv6. India is leading in the IPv6 adoption with over 79% of devices already enabled. NIXI is offering IPv6 free, with IPv4. 

Rashim Kapoor, Airtel, said that we need to reduce cost of deployment of infrastructure. It starts from basic things, such as space. We try to use more green energy. We are also ensuring that the electronics purchased have lower footprint. We are also using lot of upcoming technologies. Virtualization helps us to make more agile networks. We also have self-assurance, self-optimizing networks, etc.

Pankaj Kitchlu, Juniper Networks, said broadband used to be another tenant in the overall scheme of things. We need to make the network of future today. We need to keep it in the centre. Customer experience can be on the left side. There can be an SDN-driven experience. Broadband has silently kept up all this while. It can take care of all your utilities. 

Dr. SN Gupta, BIMSTEC, said that each player has some priorities. Projects are all about execution. Broadband is today a critical infrastructure. The total infrastructure is the digital public infrastructure. They need to become public digital goods. Every stakeholder now has a responsibility. Everyone can control this! We should make broadband as public digital good. You can pool everything together. 

Umang Das, RANext, added that implementation can be with cooperation. National Broadband Mission has said fibre should cover 25-50km. There is a massive task ahead of us. It can be of the order of Rs. 2.5 lac crores. Government's infrastructure budget is about Rs. 10 lac crores. Telecom has largely been private sector investment. Government has been stepping in, since the USO funding.

Digital infrastructure is also the bedrock of the Digital India mission. We now need to differentiate between the infrastructure and the services. The infrastructure layer needs to be rolled out in the time frame of 2-3 years. We need an authority that can take decisions faster. We do need to set up a National Digital Infrastructure Finance Corporation. 

We also need to have clear strategy how can we attract foreign infrastructure. Digitalization will play a role across every sector. We need to be able to implement recommendations. That's where the public good also comes in!

Buzz around satcoms

Shivaji Chatterjee, Executive VP, Enterprise & Government Business, Hughes Communications India, presented on buzz around satcom -- hype or reality? Satcoms is a changing, dynamic industry. The satellite constellations provide low latency, 100% global coverage, homogenous service everywhere, scalable model and capacity, and works on land, water, and air.

Billionaires have now entered satcoms, such as Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Sunil Mittal. These have become common names for enterprises. There have been big investments in the LEO constellations. These include OneWeb, Starlink, Kuiper, etc. HTS satellite technology has been the differentiator. These are used in GEO and nGSO. 

We are now seeing a revolution in satellite manufacturing. We will build several every day. There can be total coverage. Global LEO network provides high-speed Internet connectivity, that is equivalent to fibre-optic networks. OneWeb is a great example of LEO. Hughes and OneWeb have a strong partnership. There are two gateways in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. Service should be operational by end of 2023. 

The next dimension is doubling down, and making investments in GEO satellites. There are VHTS and software-defined satellites. There is a big project in India, where you can connect with Naxals, if required. Hughes Jupiter system is for HTS, VHTS, and software-defined satellites. There is also direct satellite-to-device promise. 5G ecosystem has brought the convergence of technologies. Chips by Qualcomm, Mediatek, etc., have satellite connectivity in mobile phones. T-Mobile and GlobalStar are creating solutions with Starlink and Apple.

Excitement in India

In India, there is excitement within the satellite broadband space. OneWeb launched 36 satellites. Hughes, with ISRO, launched national HTS service in Sept. 2022. Nelco applied for GMPCS license, becoming the fourth company. 

There is a strong market opportunity. GEO-HTS capacity is barely available commercially. Many market segments remain untapped, awaiting capacity and cost-effective pricing. There is need for multi-Mbps services. We have the Digital India program, cellular backhaul, and USO projects. 

Key markets and services include thin-route mass retail networks, branch connectivity, etc, Consumer Internet and IoT are emerging segments. Village broadband and WiFi, are among the considerations. Rural services can be provided with broadband through the roof, public community, and 4G/5G backhaul.

As for the industry, there are two key players -- Hughes and Nelco. Most others have flattened out or exited. The last 7-8 years saw lack of strong reform, lack of capacity, etc. Terrestrial network also keeps spreading. Prices of data and broadband keep falling. ISpA said that space spectrum should not be auctioned. It is the survival of the fittest, smartest, who understand the Indian market. 

The GEO market is known, and has reached the right understanding. With LEO, services have started. Satcom in India is well positioned for growth. 

Transforming enterprises with edge and private 5G

This was followed by a fireside chat with Prateek Pashine, President, Enterprise Business, Reliance Jio, conducted by Ibrahim Ahmed, Group Consulting Editor, Cybermedia.

Prateek Pashine, Reliance Jio, said enterprises can be divided into three types. One, those who have been there, done that! They are showing keen interest. Two, guys who have not done 5G yet, but are in active conversations. Three, guys who think it is a challenge. The Government has been quite aware of 5G. SMEs have not really started enjoying the benefits of 5G. They will do so, soon. They will get access for high-speed connectivity.

Regarding use cases, there have been early adopters. Significant adoption has been across manufacturing, mining, etc. Autonomous guided vehicles are seen in manufacturing. Reliance Jio has created an experience centre in Mumbai. We are talking about solving customer problems. We had delegations from various state governments. We are doing a testbed with Uttarakhand government, where there are some test cases going on.

We also provide connectivity to a large mobile company. 98% of railway tracks should be covered with 4G, and now, 5G. You will have 5G on the highway very soon. We enabled an offshore rig about 25km away on the sea. They can do a video call with their families.

Opportunities for mobile ecosystem

The concluding panel discussion was on the opportunities for mobile ecosystem. The participants were: Dr. RK Upadhyay, CEO, C-DoT, Ms. Arpita Paul, MD, Communications, Media & Technology, Accenture India, Prof. NK Goyal, President, CMAI and Chairman Emeritus, TEMA, and Arvind Bali, CEO, TSSC. Jaideep Ghosh, COO, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co. was the moderator.

Dr. RK Upadhyay, C-DoT, said that during 2020, an event in Galwan led to the decision for India to have its own 4G and 5G networks. Telecom becomes more important as it connects other utilities. Besides economic, we also had the security issue. We started with the PoC, and it was successful. Commercial service will launch next month. We also had problems with integrating components. The Government pushed us to do this. We now need to become the manufacturing hub for the rest of the world. All elements of the stack are done here.

Ms. Arpita Paul, Accenture India, said there is huge growth in connectivity. 5G comes with great features. There are lot of opportunities that come into play. We engage with multiple MSPs. We have solutions that can bring out the full potential of 5G. 

Prof. NK Goyal, CMAI, said that mobile has now become the talk of the town. It is used in healthcare, education, etc. There are still 3 billion people in the world who are unconnected, out of 6 billion. When will they get connected? Another issue is the quality of the network. Next, what happens if I lose my data? Lastly, who needs the hype -- 5G or 6G?

Arvind Bali, TSSC, said a mobile ecosystem has multiple components. We gave about 6,000 company names to our team to develop our ecosystem. Today, everything is there in the handheld device. There will be sensors communicating with everything, in the phones. IoT, ML, Industry 4.0, are all happening around mobility. On skilling, the demand is huge. We need about 13 lakh experts who can handle skilling. You need to have people everywhere. We need to come up with village-level courses. 

Dr. RK Upadhyay, C-DoT, said C-DoT's prime role is to facilitate the ecosystem. We are funding 100 5G labs. We run telecom technology development fund worth Rs. 500 crores. We have an IoT platform open to the industry. He advised startups to come and work with C-DoT. There are tremendous opportunities waiting to be tapped. 6G proposals are also being invited. This is a good time for the startup ecosystem.

Ms. Arpita Paul, Accenture India, said that they are working with enterprise clients. We proposed to enterprises and SPs that technology should be central to their strategies. We are focusing on four areas. These are: digital transformation and total reinvention, digital models and new products, ever-evolving consumer, and reinventing skills. There are the huge set of skills of the enterprises and SPs that we need to visit.

Arvind Bali, TSSC, said job opportunities are huge. Rollouts are happening everywhere. We are creating tower technicians, etc. Prof. NK Goyal, CMAI, added that the cost of device is key. 

Aatmanirbhar Bharat 3.0

There was a fireside chat at the conclusion of the day-long event. The participants were: Dr. RS Sharma, Former CEO, NHA, and Former Chairman, TRAI, Dr. Kumar Sivarajan, Co-founder and CTO, Tejas Networks, and Mayank Bidawatka, Co-founder, Koo. Pradeep Gupta, CMD, Cybermedia, was the moderator.

Dr. RS Sharma said that since Aadhar, India has made significant strides. The approach of developing digital artifacts has been unique. We have the UHI, ONDC, Cowin, etc., that are also part of this. India has been aatmanirbhar, making every system scalable. Interconnectivity makes UHI! You can search, book, pay, using interoperability. 

Dr. Kumar Sivarajan, Tejas , said that they have been focusing on telecom products. We were able to develop a 4G stack. DoT and Meity had an initiative to develop 5G hardware. There are startups doing 5G hardware, such as base stations. There are many initiatives in the country for 4G/5G. 

Mayank Bidawatka, Koo, said that he found the term aatmanirbhar very insular. Most of the rural tech has built products. India is an example of that. We wanted to cater to this audience. The whole experience has been exciting.

Dr. Kumar Sivarajan, Tejas, noted they have taken several steps in the 5G journey. In 6G, we have strong industry-academia partnership. We are forming a team to generate IP. We have companies here who can design, using that IP. Once you have IP, you can value add.

Koo has tremendous competition. Can we take Indian products globally? Bidawatka said very few people would find it amazing that an Indian company has taken on the big guys. India has lot of talent and intent. We have designed new models where we can go via partnerships. Some famous Brazilians are also using Koo. The next leg is to be transparent and fair.

There are new technologies coming up in the future. Dr. RS Sharma said that India has huge talent and confidence. India has built a world-class digital identity, Cowin, etc. We have begun in many areas on a clean slate. We have now created stacks that are horizontal in nature, such as identity, payment, etc. These building blocks will not become irrelevant. 

A use case of AI, is that it is good in translation. Bhashini is happening IIT-Bombay and IIT-Madras. You train the domain in AI engine. We are building blocks that can help the country. 

Around 200+ people, 18+ excellence awards, 10+ sessions with 3 panels, 3 fireside talks, and 6 keynotes were all present at the event.

The forum was sponsored by; powered by Partners- HPE and PC Solutions, also, Gold Partner- Juniper networks and Sangoma, Telecom partner- Vodafone Idea Limited, Digital Partner- NIXI, Connectivity Partner: AT&T Business, Academia Partner- Apeejay Education, Research Partner-CyberMedia research, and Media Partner- Dataquest. Supporting Partners-Broadband India Forum - Digital Infrastructure Providers Association - CMAI - TEMA - Telecom Sector Skill Council of India - Indian Space Association.