India Mobile Congress: Airtel's 5G bet, VI focus cloud, BSNL's swadeshi pitch, Jio touts homegrown
India Mobile Congress 2023 kicks off with telecom companies showcasing cutting-edge technologies.
New Delhi: The 7th Edition of the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2023 – touted as Asia's largest telecom, media, and technology forum – commenced Friday. Major Indian telecom companies displayed their cutting-edge technologies in the exhibition, setting the stage for this year's innovations and product launches.
Airtel Pavilion:
Airtel showcased various applications related to its 5G service, highlighting practical use cases to the audience.
1. Demonstrated the capabilities of Airtel 5G Plus in optimising traffic systems, enabling real-time road monitoring, and enhancing road safety by early accident detection and traffic congestion prevention.
2. Emphasised the role of Airtel IoT and Airtel 5G network in new connected ecosystems, particularly in supporting OEMs with real-time analytics for safer driving.
3. Showcased how Airtel 5G Plus empowers farmers across the country, enabling them to utilise advanced technologies for better yields and enhanced agricultural practices.
4. Highlighted the potential of Airtel 5G in connectivity for smartwatches, wearables, and more, ultimately transforming IoT broadband adoption.
5. Airtel's exhibits also demonstrated how high-speed connectivity expedites remote care and enhances accessibility to telemedicine services.
Vodafone Idea Pavilion:
Vodafone Idea's exhibition prominently revolved around cloud-based applications, showcasing practical implementations achieved in collaboration with various industry partners.
1. Featured Vi C-DOT IoT Lab, highlighting its unique status as “India's sole IoT devices interoperability certification lab”.
2. Introduced "Ready For Next" (RFN), a digital assessment tool designed to assist MSMEs in evaluating their digital maturity.
3. "Connectivity of the Future" was a key theme, demonstrating Vi Hybrid SD-WAN for secure connectivity and Private Network, which enables Industry 4.0 solutions for enterprises.
4. Collaborated with CareGame to showcase cloud gaming, a form of online gaming that offers direct and on-demand video streaming of games on mobile phones.
5. In partnership with Deloitte, Vodafone Idea's exhibition unveiled VR Learning.
BSNL Pavilion:
BSNL's pavilion was focused on the development of a "swadeshi" (indigenous) and "atmanirbhar" (self-reliant) network, showcasing multiple enterprise and consumer technology products.
1. The spotlight was on Bharat Fiber (FTTH) Services, marking the "first time" deployment of Fiber to the Home (FTTH) technology in India. This technology offers unlimited bandwidth and advanced features, including high-speed broadband and IPTV with various content options.
2. BSNL's dedicated focus on indigenous (Swadeshi) 4G/5G telecom stack under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan.
3. The implementation of the 4G Saturation project was showcased, emphasising its status as the largest green technology deployment. The project aims to cover uncovered villages in remote areas across India.
4. The exhibition also featured BharatNet, which is launched to connect all Gram Panchayats (GPS) with Optical Fiber offering 1 Gbps bandwidth.
5. Additionally, BSNL exhibited a project aimed at providing a direct communication link through a dedicated submarine optical fiber cable between Kochi and 11 Islands of Lakshadweep (KLI), significantly improving telecommunication facilities in the Lakshadweep Islands.
Jio Pavilion:
The Jio pavilion was brimming with products developed within Jio's infrastructure.
1. Highlighted JioHealthcare, an IoT-based mobile clinic that integrates Edge AI and 5G for on-the-go critical assistance and streamlined medical care.
2. Presented Telepathology for Cervical Cancer Screening, illustrating how Jio and Reliance Medlab are making cervical cancer screening accessible, affordable, and smarter through new-age technologies, Jio True5G, and AI-powered OptraScan slide scanners.
3. Introduced JioSpaceFiber, India's first Gigabit Satellite Connectivity, expanding Jio's connectivity portfolio with multi-gigabit connectivity accessible “anywhere, anytime”.
4. Showcased the JioKrishi platform, which leverages smart IoT devices for data-driven farming. This platform optimizes agricultural inputs, monitors cattle health, and provides farm-level insights for improved yield and sustainability.
5. Highlighted Jio Smart Home, offering home entertainment, connectivity, and Smart-Home services made in India.
In this three-day exhibition, which will run until Sunday, telecom companies primarily focused on demonstrating various use cases of their networks rather than announcing launched, at least on the first day. The Internet of Things (IoT) took centre stage.