New Delhi [India], October 8 (ANI): India Mobile Congress (IMC) must evolve into a platform that showcases the country's technological capabilities to the world, Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said, highlighting India has the “manpower, mobility and mindset” to drive its global technology ambitions.
Addressing India Mobile Congress 2026, Scindia said India has emerged as one of the world's most affordable data markets, with broadband subscribers surging from just 60 million a decade ago to over 1.1 billion.
He also highlighted India's growing capabilities in next-generation telecommunications, stating that the Bharat 6G Alliance, comprising 90 institutions and collaborations with global partners, has established 7,700 patents, including 4,400 international patents.
“We have the manpower, mobility and mindset to take this momentum beyond boundaries,” he said, stressing, “The first decade brought the world to India. The next decade must take India to the world.”
Scindia further noted that the government's production-linked incentive (PLI) push has strengthened domestic mobile manufacturing, helping India emerge among the world's top four producers of technology equipment within 22 months.
Highlighting the government's focus on digital inclusion, the Minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Digital India mission rests on two key pillars: democratisation of technology and ensuring that technological progress reaches every citizen, enterprise and community.
“Technology must serve every enterprise. Technology must serve every community,” he stressed.
Referring to the government's USD 15 billion BharatNet programme, Scindia said the initiative aims to strengthen broadband connectivity across rural India by providing middle-mile connectivity to nearly 2.6 lakh gram panchayats and enabling on-demand connectivity to another 3.8 lakh villages.
“USD 15 billion government-funded BharatNet program…will do the middle-mile connectivity of close to 260,000 gram panchayats and will give on-demand connectivity to the balanced 380,000 villages across the length and breadth of India…” he said.
The Minister further said the ITU (International Telecommunication Union) Council has accepted India's proposal to host the Plenipotentiary Conference in 2030.
“For the first time, the ITU's World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly was held in India in 2024, the largest WTSA assembly outside Geneva in the history of the ITU,” he said, highlighting, “The ITU Council has accepted India's proposal to host the Plenipotentiary Conference in 2030, and our growing partnership with our GSMA Board will form that bridge between India, the “setu” between India and the rest of the world.” (ANI)
India has “manpower, mobility, mindset;” IMC must evolve into global platform, says Communications Minister
