6th Voice&Data 5G+ Conference to shape India's telecom future

India’s oldest and leading communication magazine, Voice&Data, will be organising the 6th edition of its 5G+ Conference, part of its flagship Telecom Leadership Forum (TLF), on 25 September 2024 at the Holiday Inn, Aerocity, New Delhi. 

This year, the conference will focus on “Igniting Innovation, Empowering Entrepreneurs, Driving Growth.” It will explore the transformative power of future telecom standards, promising connectivity speeds surpassing 5G by a factor of 100.

The annual conference will host industry leaders, domain experts, policymakers, technologists, influencers, and academia to discuss the evolution of telecom technologies beyond 5G. The discussions will highlight the opportunities and challenges in leveraging these technologies to reshape industries, enhance user experiences, and propel economic growth. 

As the industry moves towards 6G and beyond, the event will serve as a vital platform for collaboration between startups, telecom operators, and key stakeholders in shaping the future of India’s digital economy. 

In June, after taking over as the Union Cabinet Minister of Communications, Jyotiraditya Scindia set the ball rolling further to drive the telecommunications sector growth and 5G rollout. He also met industry leaders and various Stakeholder Advisory Committees to discuss issues. “Had a very productive meeting with the Advisory Committee of Telecommunication Service Providers. Discussed upon different aspects concerning the sector including futuristic & innovative areas of growth. We are committed to work together to build an inclusive and connected Bharat,” he had tweeted after the meeting.

In a recent address at the National Management Convention of AIMA, the minister also highlighted that after becoming the country with the fastest 5G rollout, India is targeting to lead the way in research and development on 5G. “Our target is to ensure 10% of international worldwide patents for India in 6G through this Bharat 6G alliance in the coming days,” he said.

The inaugural session, Enabling Connectivity Beyond 5G, will set the stage with a welcome address by Pradeep Gupta, Chairman of CyberMedia Group. This will be followed by an opening note from Peeyush Vaish, Partner and TMT Industry Leader at Deloitte South Asia. A special address by Randeep Singh Sekhon, CTO of Bharti Airtel; Vish Iyer, President, Service Provider APJ, Cisco; and Lt Gen Dr SP Kochhar, Director General, COAI, will delve into how future technologies will drive connectivity advancements nationwide.

A key highlight of the inaugural session will be the Keynote Address by the Guest of Honour Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy, Government of India, who will share his insight on the impact of 5G+ technologies on the education system in India, particularly in the context of the New Education Policy. Prabhu Ram, Head – Industry Intelligence Group, CMR, will also present the findings of the Voice&Ddata-CMR Survey of the industry's 5G readiness in India.

The Conference Agenda

The conference will feature engaging panel discussions on crucial themes, including Redefining User Expectations: What Comes After 5G? and Harnessing the Power of Interconnected Technologies for Growth. These sessions will focus on how 5G+ technologies, combined with AI, IoT, and edge computing, are shaping industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, and smart cities.

A critical discussion on regulatory challenges and opportunities in the 5G+ era will highlight how India can create an enabling policy environment to foster innovation, ensure data security, and drive digital transformation. The panel, comprising senior regulatory and industry figures, will address the need for a streamlined framework to accelerate 5G adoption across urban and rural landscapes.

Key speakers include Himanshu Gupta, Country Manager – Telecom, Media & Entertainment, HPE India; Shivaji Chatterjee, CEO, President and MD, Hughes Communication; Anjali Hans, EVP – Regulatory, CSR and External Communications Head, Vodafone Idea; Anand Bhandari, Vertical Head – Internet of Things, Reliance Jio; Dharmender Khajuria, Head – Network Partnerships, Bharti Airtel; Vikas Shokeen, Business Head – North & Rest of India, Bharti Airtel; and Golok Kumar Simli, Principal Advisor and CTO, Global Passport Seva Programme, Ministry of External Affairs, Govt of India. 

The other key speakers include Puneet Chopra, Telecom CTO, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, India; Rakhee A Chachra, Global Research Leader (TME), Institute of Business Value, IBM; Amit Khanduja, Enterprise Architect, Tata Consultancy Services; and Jaideep Ghosh, Member, Harvard Business Review Advisory Council; Amit Sinha Roy, VP Global Head – Strategic Alliances, Tata Communications; Shankar Srinivasan, Lead – IoT and Enterprise 5G solutions, APJC region, Cisco; Sunil David, Digital Technology Consultant and former Regional Director – IoT (India and ASEAN region), AT&T; and Dr Sidharth Shukla, Head – Emerging Tech & Industry Engagement, Bharti Airtel.

It also includes Sudakshina Laha, Head of Services – MSIT and ADM, Cloud Software and Services, Ericsson; Kiran Desai, EVP and Head of Cloud Business, Jio Platforms; Amit Kapil, Group CTO, Caparo Engineering India; Rehan Nedaria, CTO, Service Provider, India, Cisco; Jaspreet Singh, Partner and Leader – Clients and Markets (Advisory Services) and GCC Leader, Grant Thornton Bharat; and Vinish Bawa, Partner and Telecom sector leader, PwC India.

The conference will culminate with a Valedictory Session celebrating 30 years of the Indian telecom industry. This session will reflect on the journey that began with the New Telecom Policy of 1994, a landmark event that catalysed the growth of India’s telecom sector. Leaders like Dr RS Sharma, former Chairman of TRAI, and Akhil Gupta, Vice Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, will share their insights on the industry's transformation. This session will also commemorate the 30th anniversary of Voice&Data magazine, a leading voice in the telecom and communication sector since its inception.

The 6th Voice&Data 5G+ Conference aims to ignite the next wave of innovation in India's telecom ecosystem, providing a platform for meaningful discussions and partnerships that will shape the future of connectivity and communication in the country.

The conference has been supported by Cisco as the presenting partner, PC Solutions and Hewlett Packard Enterprises as platinum AI partners, Bharti Airtel as a Telecom partner, and Hughes Communications as a Satcom partner.

It draws support from industry associations such as COAI, DIPA, ICEA, Indian Space Association, CMAI, Satcom Industry Association, Telecom Sector Skill Council, and TEMA. Apeejay Education is an academic partner, and CyberMedia Research (CMR) is a research partner.

Over 200+ technology and business decision-makers and policymakers from telecommunication, enterprise, start-ups, academia, and the influencer ecosystem will attend the conference.