The first ever Mobile, Internet and Technology event in India – India Mobile Congress 2017 today kicked-off with a grand ceremony at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. Hon’ble Minister Shri Manoj Sinha, Ministry of Communication (Department of Telecommunications), inaugurated the event as Chief Guest in the presence of Guest of Honour Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Hon’ble Minister of Electronics and Information Technology and Law and Justice, Hon’ble Minister Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan (Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Shri Priyank Kharge, Hon’ble Minister of IT & Bio-Technology and Tourism Department, Karnataka, Mr. K. T. Rama Rao Hon’ble Minister of IT, Municipal Administration & Urban Development, Telangana and Mr. Satish Mahana, Minister of Industrial Development, Government of Uttar Pradesh. The senior dignitaries from the Government also included the presence of Smt. Aruna Sundararajan, Secretary (T) & Chairperson, Telecom Commission, Department of Telecommunications and Shri Ajay Prakash Sawhney, Secretary, MeitY.
The inauguration ceremony was graced with the presence of senior industry leaders and key sponsors including Mr. Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder & Chairman, Bharti Enterprises, Mr. Mukesh Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Industries Limited, Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group, Idea Cellular Limited, Mr. Vittorio Amedeo Colao, Chief Executive Officer, Vodafone Group Plc (joined through video call) along other industry champions.
Speaking at the inauguration, Hon’ble Minister, Shri Manoj Sinha, Ministry of Communication (Department of Telecommunications) said, “It’s a proud moment for all of us to launch the first ever India Mobile Congress which will surely give Mobile, Internet and Technology a new direction. This platform is a much awaited event in the country which has over a billion subscribers and has seen tremendous growth in given number of internet users and a large of IT & Telecom companies operating and investing in India. We are delighted to have the support from our other ministries it is heartening to see such a strong International presence. We India Mobile Congress is a true convergence of various thoughts, ideas and views from all corners of the world. Indian Mobile Congress will boost in investment in India, launch new products, promote technology for social good and encourage innovation with a boost to startups to realise the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of fully connected Digital India.”
Speaking on the occasion Rajan S Mathews, Director General, COAI said, “We are truly thankful to our Hon’ble Telecom Minister, Shri Manoj Sinha for his unstinting support, guidance and leadership for translating this vision into a reality. We are truly grateful to the Government of India for their support and creating a facilitative environment for the industry. The India Mobile Congress will be the marquee event of the country. We are sure that the deliberations will inform global policy and over the years, all stakeholders will look forward to this event for launches and releases of new technologies. Officials and senior decision makers from both the Government as well as the industry are present and tech companies will be displaying the best that this ecosystem has to offer.”
The event, includes a conclave, an exhibition and an awards ceremony, and also has thematic pavilions and innovation zones, spread across 15,000 square meters, featuring 300 exhibitors from ICT, TMT as well as the Government sector, Embassies and States. The International event is expected to attract more than 500 start-ups, 2,000 delegates from India and other countries with 1,50,000 footfalls, he further added.
The three day event will have 21 sessions which will have themes like “Digital India”, “Internet Governance”, “Smart Network: The future of networking”, “Digital Identity for Digital World”, “Women in Tech”, “Emerging Technologies in a 5G Future”, “Cloud & Virtualization”, “Digital Infrastructure towards the Digital Economy” and many others. The sessions will be followed by two startup pitches.
