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TLF
The TLF was attended by 250+ technology and business decision-makers and policymakers across the communication and broadcasting sector.
India’s leading communication magazine, Voice&Data hosted its 23rd Telecom Leadership Forum (TLF) on 21 March in New Delhi. The event attracted over 250 policymakers, business leaders, and technology professionals from various sectors including telecommunications, start-ups, academia, enterprises, and influencers.
With the focus on ‘Envisioning the Connected Future’ the TLF delved into the possibilities of a seamless, connected world in driving business and growth.
Delivering the Opening Address, CMR’s Head of Industry Intelligence Group Prabhu Ram, set the tone with insights into the rapidly evolving technological landscape. He highlighted the pervasive nature of technology, emphasising that India’s connectivity is poised to reach 1 billion by 2027. Ram underscored the transformative impact of emerging trends such as AI, 5G, and sustainability across industries.
He further noted the rise of consumer AI and the increasing interest in enterprise AI, as organisations prioritise enhancing customer experiences and navigating technical challenges. Additionally, he discussed the rising adoption of cloud technologies and the imminent era of hyperconnectivity driven by 5G, which is expected to significantly impact mobile consumption and phone shipments. Ram also touched upon the evolving gaming landscape, emphasising the shift towards hybrid and immersive experiences fueled by regional content consumption.
Welcoming the attendees, Pradeep Gupta, Chairman of CyberMedia Group, reflected on the changes witnessed in the Indian telecom industry, highlighting the industry’s resilience during challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Gupta stressed the importance of innovation in driving future advancements. He also pointed out that the magazine will be completing its 30 years in July.
With the focus on ‘Envisioning the Connected Future’ the TLF delved into the possibilities of a seamless, connected world in driving business and growth.
The key growth enablers
Dr RK Upadhyay, CEO of C-DoT, stressed the role of telecom as a key driver of economic growth, contributing significantly to GDP and job creation. He discussed India’s achievements in the 5G rollout and outlined the government’s initiatives to boost the telecom sector, including regulatory sandboxes and the introduction of a new Telecom Act. Upadhyay also highlighted the government’s focus on boosting electronics production and attracting foreign investment to foster innovation.
Looking ahead, Upadhyay emphasised the importance of India’s leadership in future telecom standards and technological development. He discussed initiatives to promote indigenous manufacturing and research, including partnerships with global players and support for startups.
Lt. Gen. AK Bhatt, Director General of ISpA, provided insights into India’s burgeoning space sector, noting the growth of startups and the government’s liberal policies to promote investment and innovation. He discussed the potential of satellite communications and the role of disruptive technologies in shaping the future of space exploration.
Digvijay Sharma, Senior Director of Sales at Ciena India, highlighted the increasing importance of network infrastructure in driving digital transformation. He emphasised the evolution of networking platforms to support the growing complexity and scale of digital operations, marking a new era of Networking 3.0.
Technology, drivers, and challenges
With the focus on ‘Envisioning the Connected Future’ the TLF 2024 explored the vision of a seamless, connected world brought about by advancements in telecommunication technologies, mobile platforms, and digital infrastructure.
The speakers delved into the potential for collaboration, innovation, and transformative changes that can occur when communication service providers, businesses, and individuals harness the power of hyperconnectivity. They also explored the impact of 5G and potential future technologies like 6G on different sectors, user dynamics, and manufacturing in India.
Businesses must foster innovation, embrace digital transformation, and create compelling offerings to stay ahead, and this cannot happen without the integration of newer technologies. To understand this, the TLF took a deep dive into how businesses can leverage communication, connectivity, and AI for growth. The speakers also shared insight into the opportunities and challenges of connecting billions of devices, the use of AI in managing data and security and building a robust IoT ecosystem to drive Industry 4.0.
Managing content in the broadband-driven new digital era is a big challenge and the TLF deliberated on the evolution of content consumption, the rise of immersive experiences like AR/VR, and the need for innovative service offerings beyond connectivity. It also delved into the challenges and concerns of threats and vulnerabilities in the connected world, as well as the approach to developing a winning mobile marketing strategy. The industry leaders also explored the current environmental impact of technology.
Several prominent speakers attended the TLF, including Arun Karna, Managing Director and CEO, AT&T India; Anku Jain, MD, Media Tek; Himanshu Gupta, Country Manager – Telecom, Media, and Entertainment (CME), HPE; Anshuman Tripathi, Member, National Security Advisory Board, Government of India; Dr Pavan Duggal, Chairman, International Commission on Cyber Security Law; Golok Kumar Simli, Principal Advisor and CTO, Global Passport Seva Programme;
Rahul Vatts, CRO, Bharti Airtel; Sudakshina Laha, Head of Services – MSIT and ADM, Cloud Software and Services, Ericsson; Saurabh Mittal, Head, Standards and Tech Ecosystem, Bharti Airtel; and Puneet Chopra, Telecom CTO, HPE India.
The V&D Excellence Award was presented to nine companies for their initiatives and excellence in different aspects of their business.
The list also includes Himanshu Mishra, Vice President - Digital, Vodafone Idea; Dharmender Khajuria, Head – Network Partnerships, Bharti Airtel; Tushar Gupta, Customer Engineer – Infrastructure Modernisation Specialist, Google Cloud; Hitesh Tailor, Director, Sales Engineering, Ciena India; Salil Khanna, National Head – Enterprise & Govt Business, Reliance Jio; Sheena Joseph, National Head – Customer Service & Operations, Enterprise Business, Vodafone Idea; Saibal Roy, SVP & Business Head-North & East India, Bharti Airtel; Bhushan Sethi, VP – IoT Product, Vodafone Idea Business; and Anand Bhandari, Vertical Head – Internet of Things, Reliance Jio.
Other speakers included Pankaj Mohindroo, Chairman, ICEA; Prof NK Goyal, President, CMAI & Chairman Emeritus, TEMA; Jaideep Ghosh, former Partner, KPMG India; Dhaval Gupta, Executive Director & Head – Digital Initiatives, CyberMedia; Sukanta Dey, Founder CEO, Sdela Consulting; and Anil Chopra, VP – Research & Consulting, CyberMedia Research.
Overall, the Telecom Leadership Forum served as a platform for industry leaders to exchange ideas, discuss challenges, and explore opportunities for innovation and growth in the connected future and the role India can play.
The V&D Awards
The highlights of the event included the presentation of the Telecom Leadership Awards and the V&D Excellence Award for the year 2023. The Telecom Person of the Awards for 2023 was conferred upon K Rajaraman, Chairman, International Financial Services Centres Authority (former Telecom Secretary), while the Lifetime Achievement Award was conferred upon Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani, CMD of Reliance Industries.
The Pathbreaker of the Year Award for 2023 was conferred upon the enablers of the world’s largest 5G network rollout in the shortest time. It was given jointly to the Department of Telecommunication under the leadership of Dr Neeraj Mittal, Reliance Jio President Mathew Oommen, and Bharti Airtel Managing Director and CEO Gopal Vittal
The TLF also saw the presentation of the V&D Excellence Awards for the year 2023 in nine (9) categories, for their initiatives in different aspects of business, including network infrastructure, network services, business process innovation, communication platform, Make in India, multilingual internet, and Internet of Things. The award is an industry recognition based on nomination and through an internal evaluation process of the V&D team.
The TLF was attended by over 250 technology and business decision-makers and policymakers across telecommunication, enterprise, start-ups, academia, and the influencer ecosystem. With the focus on ‘Envisioning the Connected Future’, the TLF 2024 delved into the essentials of a seamless, connected world brought about by advancements in telecommunication technologies, mobile platforms, and digital infrastructure.
The TLF is powered by Platinum AI Partners HPE and PC Solutions, and supported by Gold Partner Ciena, Connectivity Partner AT&T Business, Telecom Partner Vodafone Idea Limited, Digital Transformation Partner Jio Business, Research Partner CyberMedia Research, and Media Partner Dataquest. It is also supported by Broadband India Forum, CMAI, Digital Infrastructure Providers Association, ICEA, Indian Space Association, TEMA, and Telecom Sector Skill Council of India.
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