Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday inaugurated the 10th edition of the India Mobile Congress (IMC) at Yashobhoomi in New Delhi, formally opening the four-day flagship event of the country's telecom and digital technology sector. Union Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia felicitated the Prime Minister on his arrival.
Addressing the gathering, Scindia underlined the Prime Minister's long-stated vision of taking technology to every village and every citizen. He said the journey of the past decade had reshaped the economics of connectivity: one GB of mobile data, which cost Rs 268 in 2014, now costs about Rs 8 — the cheapest data rates in the world. Average monthly data usage per customer, he said, had grown roughly 140 times over the same period, widening the canvas on which every Indian could connect, create and innovate.
"Addressing the India Mobile Congress. It is encouraging to see India's telecom sector steadily moving towards greater self-reliance," the Prime Minister posted on X after the inauguration.
The 2026 edition, jointly organised by the Department of Telecommunications and the Cellular Operators Association of India, is being held at Yashobhoomi from October 7 to 10 under the theme "Scale Without Boundaries". The conference programme began a day before the formal inauguration, with opening-day speakers including Lauren Dreyer, vice-president of Starlink Business Operations at SpaceX, and Hideo Fuseda, vice-minister for international affairs at Japan's ministry of internal affairs and communications. Minister of State for Communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, DoT Secretary Amit Agrawal and C-DOT chief executive Rajkumar Upadhyay also featured on the opening day.
The second day's programme, built around the Prime Minister's inauguration, was scheduled to include keynotes from industry leaders — Reliance Jio chairman Akash Ambani, Bharti Enterprises founder and chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal, and Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla — alongside government announcements, partnerships and discussions on investment and business opportunities in telecom and digital technology.
Across the four days, sessions cover next-generation networks, artificial intelligence, 6G, digital infrastructure, satellite communications, intelligent RAN, cybersecurity, network APIs, cloud and edge computing and semiconductors. Companies including Qualcomm, GSMA, Ericsson, Jio, Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel and Intel are participating. An exhibition at Yashobhoomi is showcasing live use cases spanning 5G and 6G, AI, semiconductors, satellite communications, cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing and cloud and edge computing, while the ASPIRE programme is giving startups — with a sharper focus on deep-tech this year — a platform to move from prototypes to market opportunities.
Sources: Hindustan Times — India Mobile Congress begins on Wednesday, PM Modi to inaugurate on October 8, Awaz The Voice (ANI) — PM Modi inaugurates 10th edition of India Mobile Congress
Addressing the gathering, Scindia underlined the Prime Minister's long-stated vision of taking technology to every village and every citizen. He said the journey of the past decade had reshaped the economics of connectivity: one GB of mobile data, which cost Rs 268 in 2014, now costs about Rs 8 — the cheapest data rates in the world. Average monthly data usage per customer, he said, had grown roughly 140 times over the same period, widening the canvas on which every Indian could connect, create and innovate.
"Addressing the India Mobile Congress. It is encouraging to see India's telecom sector steadily moving towards greater self-reliance," the Prime Minister posted on X after the inauguration.
The 2026 edition, jointly organised by the Department of Telecommunications and the Cellular Operators Association of India, is being held at Yashobhoomi from October 7 to 10 under the theme "Scale Without Boundaries". The conference programme began a day before the formal inauguration, with opening-day speakers including Lauren Dreyer, vice-president of Starlink Business Operations at SpaceX, and Hideo Fuseda, vice-minister for international affairs at Japan's ministry of internal affairs and communications. Minister of State for Communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, DoT Secretary Amit Agrawal and C-DOT chief executive Rajkumar Upadhyay also featured on the opening day.
The second day's programme, built around the Prime Minister's inauguration, was scheduled to include keynotes from industry leaders — Reliance Jio chairman Akash Ambani, Bharti Enterprises founder and chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal, and Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla — alongside government announcements, partnerships and discussions on investment and business opportunities in telecom and digital technology.
Across the four days, sessions cover next-generation networks, artificial intelligence, 6G, digital infrastructure, satellite communications, intelligent RAN, cybersecurity, network APIs, cloud and edge computing and semiconductors. Companies including Qualcomm, GSMA, Ericsson, Jio, Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel and Intel are participating. An exhibition at Yashobhoomi is showcasing live use cases spanning 5G and 6G, AI, semiconductors, satellite communications, cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing and cloud and edge computing, while the ASPIRE programme is giving startups — with a sharper focus on deep-tech this year — a platform to move from prototypes to market opportunities.
Sources: Hindustan Times — India Mobile Congress begins on Wednesday, PM Modi to inaugurate on October 8, Awaz The Voice (ANI) — PM Modi inaugurates 10th edition of India Mobile Congress
