PM Narendra Modi inaugurates IMC 2024, says India has democratised digital technology

The eighth edition of India Mobile Congress (IMC) begins today, October 15. It will be a four-day event and will conclude on October 18.

India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2024 kicked off today, October 15. This is the eighth edition of the annual tech event, which was inaugurated by prime minister Narendra Modi. At the event, Modi also inaugurated the World Telecommunication Standardisation Assembly (WTSA) 2024, which is organised by the International Telecommunication Union, a specialised agency of the United Nations. “India has democratised digital technology,” says the prime minister.

In India, telecommunications goes beyond connectivity — it’s a means of fostering equity and opportunity. A decade ago, when I introduced the Digital India initiative, I emphasised the need for a comprehensive strategy. We identified four key pillars: reducing device costs, ensuring digital connectivity across the entire nation, making data widely accessible, and adopting a ‘digital-first’ approach as our guiding principle, he adds.

“WTSA focuses on achieving global empowerment through consensus, while the India Mobile Congress aims to empower through enhanced connectivity. The connection between consensus and connectivity has been highlighted at this event. In a world increasingly marked by conflict, both of these elements play a crucial role,” says Modi.

“In the last decade, India has laid optical fibres spanning a distance equivalent to eight times the Earth-moon distance. At the India Mobile Congress two years ago, we introduced 5G, and now, every district in the country has 5G coverage. India has established itself as a 5G market, and we are now making swift progress towards developing 6G technology,” Modi adds.

At the opening event, Jyotiraditya Scindia also addressed the attendees. “We march with the world in 5G, but we shall lead the world in 6G,” Scindia says. “In India, 5G is anticipated to inject an astounding 450 billion dollars into the economy by 2040. We have rolled out 5G across all 36 states & UTs covering 98 per cent of our districts and 80 per cent of our population in just 22 months,” he adds.

IMC 2024 will be a four-day event, and will conclude on October 18. The event will take place at Pragati Maidan, and will see participation from some prominent players in the industry, including Xiaomi, Qualcomm, Reliance Jio, Ericsson, among others. The popular Meta RayBan XR glasses will also be showcased at IMC 2024.

Reliance Jio chairman Akash Ambani also spoke at the event. “With AI , India has the potential to completely transform into the new-age factory and service centre for the world,” says Ambani.

A key focus of the event will be 5G advancements, including practical AI use cases and next-gen technology demonstrations. Xiaomi and Snapdragon are set to announce a new partnership, aiming to integrate Snapdragon’s latest chips into Xiaomi devices. This move is expected to enhance performance, especially in budget smartphones.

Qualcomm’s showcase will be a major attraction, emphasising the potential of on-device AI for improving both mobile experiences and industrial processes. The company will also push for broader 5G adoption, targeting increased accessibility across India. Visitors can look forward to demonstrations of Qualcomm’s latest processors, including their 10-core, 12-core, and 8-core models, tailored for intensive computing needs.

An exciting part of Qualcomm’s exhibition is the demo of the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses, powered by the Snapdragon AR1 Gen1 chip. These glasses promise to bring augmented reality into everyday life, offering features like real-time navigation, text translation, and immersive experiences. They highlight Qualcomm’s vision for integrating wearables into the tech ecosystem.