The 7th Edition of India Mobile Congress (IMC 2023), Asia’s largest telecom, media, and technology forum, was held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, Delhi, from 27th to 29th October 2023.
- The theme of the IMC 2023 was ‘Global Digital Innovation’.
- The congress was virtually inaugurated by Prime Minister(PM) Narendra Modi on 27th October 2023.
Aim: To strengthen India’s position as a developer, manufacturer, and exporter of key cutting-edge technologies.
About IMC 2023:
i.IMC 2023 showcased India’s advancements in telecommunications, technology, and innovation, with a special focus on technologies like 5G, 6G, and Artificial intelligence (AI).
ii.The event served as a platform for various stakeholders, including CEOs, exhibitors, startups, and international participants, to foster collaboration and highlight India’s achievements in the digital landscape.
Participants and Stakeholders
Over 1 lakh participants from 22 countries, including 5,000 CEO-level delegates, 230 exhibitors, 400 startups, and various stakeholders, attend IMC 2023.
Highlights of IMC 2023:
i.IMC 2023 introduces ‘Aspire,’ a startup program fostering connections between startups, investors, and established businesses.
- This aims to catalyze entrepreneurial initiatives and collaborations.
ii.During the inauguration of IMC 2023, PM Modi inaugurated the exhibition which offered a glimpse of the future in telecom, technology and connectivity.
Points to note:
i.PM Modi highlighted that India has made remarkable progress in mobile broadband speed.
- According to the Speedtest Global Index by Ookla (October 2023), India is ranked 43rd with a median mobile download speed of 54.05 Megabits per second (Mbps). Previously(September 2022), India was ranked 118th out of 190 nations.
ii.He also informed that Rs 80,000 crore Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme is driving semiconductor development in India.
iii.He also noted that India’s rapid progress is evident with 400,000 5G base stations deployed within a year of the 5G rollout, covering over 97% of cities and 80% of the population.
PM Modi Inaugurates 100 ‘5G Use Case Labs’ at IMC 2023, Including Five in Andhra Pradesh
During IMC 2023 PM Modi awarded 100 ‘5G Use Case Labs’ to educational institutions across India. The institutions will get 5G Use Case Labs as part of the initiative of the Department of Telecommunication (DoT), Ministry of Communications.
5 of the 100 “5G Use Case Labs” were awarded to the institutions from Andhra Pradesh are
- Indian Institute of Information Technology Design and Manufacturing (Kurnool).
- Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation (Guntur).
- GITAM Deemed to be University (Visakhapatnam).
- Vignan’s Foundation for Science, Technology and Research (Guntur).
- Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) Tirupati.
Objectives:
- These labs aim to promote 5G competencies and engagement among students and start-up communities.
- They enable the development and experimentation of 5G applications across various socioeconomic verticals including education, agriculture, health, power, urban management, mining, logistics, resource management, tourism, sports, security, e-governance etc.
Lab Equipment and Ownership
The 5G lab equipment includes 5G SA infrastructure (mid-band), 5G SIMs, Dongles, IoT Gateway, Router and Application Server to meet lab needs along with a management dashboard.
Beneficiary institutions own the lab assets during and after the project completion.
- The beneficiary institution shall provide necessary facilities such as space, power supply, internet, intranet, tech-manpower (for local maintenance).
Reliance Jio Launches India’s First Satellite-Based Gigabit Broadband Service, “JioSpaceFiber”
Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (Reliance Jio) launched India’s first satellite-based gigabit broadband service “JioSpaceFiber” during IMC 2023. This aims to provide high-speed internet access to previously unreachable areas in India.
- With the introduction of JioSpaceFiber, Reliance Jio aims to make digital inclusivity a reality for every household.
Satellite-Based Broadband
Unlike standard broadband that uses cables or fiber to deliver high-speed internet, JioSpaceFiber uses communication satellites to provide internet access. Fiber, known for its swiftness, can offer speeds exceeding 1000 mbps.
- JioSpaceFiber is different in comparison to both JioAirFiber and Jio Fibre.
Technology and Partnership
i.JioSpaceFiber is powered by medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite technology, offering fiber-like services from space.
- Only MEO constellation can actually provide fiber-like fast broadband services from space.
ii.Reliance Jio has partnered with SES (a Luxembourg-based satellite telecommunications network provider) to use its O3b and O3b mPOWER satellites for low latency and high throughput connectivity.
- SES currently has over 70 satellites in 2 different orbits.
Initial Locations: JioSpaceFiber has already been deployed in four remote locations for potential testing.
- Gir in Gujarat
- Korba in Chhattisgarh
- Nabarangpur in Odisha
- ONGC-Jorhat in Assam
Competition and Future Plans
- JioSpaceFiber will compete with other satellite-based broadband services like OneWeb from Bharti, Project Kuiper from Amazon, and Starlink from SpaceX.
- It is expected to enhance the availability and scalability of Jio True5G.
Sunil Bharti Mittal announces satellite communication breakthrough for India at IMC 2023
Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman of Bharti Enterprises and founder of Bharti Airtel, announced a significant breakthrough in satellite communication at IMC 2023. He revealed that OneWeb Satellite communication service is ready to connect all parts of India from next month. The service promises to provide connectivity to even remote and difficult-to-reach areas.
- Bharti Airtel had launched 5G services in October 2022, achieving nationwide coverage, including 5,000 towns and cities and 20,000 villages.
- Bharti Airtel has been connecting rural and remote areas with the support of the Universal Services Obligation Fund.
OneWeb Constellation and Bharti Enterprises
- The OneWeb constellation, merged with Eutelsat, will operate as Eutelsat OneWeb and serve the globe.
- Bharti Enterprises is the largest shareholder of the merged entity, holding a 21.2% share.
- OneWeb has completed its constellation of over 618 low Earth orbit satellites, enabling broadband internet services worldwide.
HFCL Unveils 1728-Intermittently Bonded Ribbon (IBR) Cables at IMC 2023
At India Mobile Congress 2023, HFCL Limited unveiled a suite of next-gen connectivity products and solutions, including 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) Customer Premise Equipment (CPE), IP MPLS Routers, 2 Gbps Unlicensed Band Radio, and the 1728-high fiber count IBR Optical Fiber Cable.
Key Points:
i.1728 High-Fibre IBR Optical Fiber Cable
- It is intended to contribute to India’s national fiberisation priorities, including programs like BharatNet and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), as well as the rollout of 4G and 5G networks by telecom operators and technology enterprises.
- The 1728-fibre IBR cable comprises individual intermittently bonded ribbons, each containing 12 optical fibers securely bonded at specific intervals.
- This design offers a combination of space efficiency and full backward compatibility, allowing seamless optical infrastructure upgrades.
- The 1728-high fiber IBR Optical Fiber Cable facilitates the installation of 5G network infrastructure, expansion of FTTH capabilities, and meets the demand from data centers.
- It is gel-free and optimized for cost-efficient deployment and quick restoration in case of accidental outages.
ii.5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) CPE
- HFCL’s 5G FWA CPE products aim to accelerate wireless broadband penetration in urban and rural areas, offering cost-effective and high-speed wireless connectivity.
- These products support both 5G SA and NSA technologies.
iii.2 Gbps Unlicensed Band Radio (UBR)
- It offers a low-latency, high-reliability solution for 5G backhauling and carrier-grade enterprise wireless connectivity.
- It operates across an extended 5GHz frequency range and reduces total cost of ownership (TCO) for customers by up to 75%.
iv.IP MPLS Routers
- HFCL introduced revolutionary IP MPLS Routers designed to empower telcos for 5G network backhauling, fiber broadband networks, and last-mile connectivity to enterprises.
- These routers offer scalable and efficient network solutions, support Quality of Service (QoS), and prevent network congestion.
Note: India’s data center market is expected to boom, with 45 new data centers expected to come up by the end of 2025.
About Bharti Airtel:
Chairman– Sunil Mittal
MD and CEO– Gopal Vittal
Founded– 7 July 1995
Headquarters– New Delhi, Delhi
About HFCL Limited:
HFCL Limited was formerly known as Himachal Futuristic Communications Limited.
Chairman– Mahendra Pratap Shukla
MD– Mahendra Nahata
Founded– 1987
Headquarters– Gurugram, Haryana
