Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates ITU World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly 2024
PM inaugurates 8th edition of India Mobile Congress
In India, we have made telecom not just a medium of connectivity, but also a
medium of equity and opportunity: PM
We identified four pillars of Digital India and started working on all four
pillars simultaneously and we got results: PM
We are working towards giving the world a complete Made in India phone, from
chip to finished product: PM
The length of optical fiber that India has laid in just 10 years is eight times
the distance between the Earth and the Moon: PM
India democratized digital technology: PM
Today India has such a digital bouquet which can take welfare schemes to new
heights in the world: PM
India is working towards the goal of making technology sector inclusive,
empowering women through technology platforms: PM
The time has come for global institutions to accept importance of Global
framework for digital technology, global guidelines for global governance: PM
We have to ensure that our future is both technically strong and ethically
sound, Our future should have innovation as well as inclusion: PM
The Prime
Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the International Telecommunication
Union - World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA) 2024 at Bharat
Mandapam in New Delhi today. Modi also inaugurated the 8th edition of India
Mobile Congress during the programme. He took a walkthrough of the exhibition
showcased on the occasion.
Addressing
the gathering, the Prime Minister welcomed the Union Minister for Communication
Jyotiradiya Scindia, Minister of State for Communication Chandrasekhar
Pemmasani, Secretary General of ITU Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Ministers &
dignitaries of various foreign countries, industry leaders, telecom experts,
youths from the Startup world and ladies and gentlemen to the WTSA and India
Mobile Congress (IMC). Welcoming the dignitaries of ITU, Modi thanked and
appreciated them for choosing India as the destination for the first WTSA
meeting. “India is one among the most happening countries when it comes to
telecom and its related technologies”, exclaimed Shri Modi. Listing the
achievements of India, Shri Modi said that India had a mobile phone user base
of 120 crores or 1200 million, 95 crore or 950 million internet users and
digital transactions of more than 40% of the entire world in real-time. He
further added that India had showcased how digital connectivity had become an
effective tool for the last mile delivery. He congratulated everyone for
choosing India as the destination for discussing the global telecommunication
standard and discussion on the future for telecom as a global good.
Highlighting
the significance of the combined organization of WTSA and India Mobile
Congress, the Prime Minister said that WTSA’s objective is to work on global
standards while the role of India Mobile Congress is associated with services.
He said that today’s event brings global standards and services on a single
platform. Emphasizing India’s focus on quality service and standards, the Prime
Minister said that WTSA’s experience would provide new energy to India.
The
Prime Minister underlined that WTSA empowers the world via consensus and while
India Mobile Congress strengthens the world through connectivity. Therefore,
Shri Modi said, consensus and connectivity are conjoined in this event. He
stressed the need for the combination in today’s world which is marred by
conflict and said that India has been living through the immortal message of
Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.
He mentioned
the G20 Summit presided by India and spoke about relaying the message of ‘One
Earth One Family One Future’. The Prime Minister emphasized that India is
engaged in bringing the world out of conflict and connecting it. “Be it the
ancient silk route or today’s technology route, India’s only mission is to
connect the world and open new doors of progress”, the Prime Minister remarked.
In such a situation, said the Prime Minister, this partnership of WTSA and IMC
is a great message where local and global combine to bring the benefits not to
just one country but the entire world.
“India's
mobile and telecom journey in the 21st century is a subject of study for the
whole world”, exclaimed Modi. He added that while mobile and telecom were seen
as a facility across the world, however, telecom was not just a medium of
connectivity, but a medium of equity and opportunity in India. The Prime
Minister remarked that telecom as a medium was helping in bridging the gap
between villages and cities, rich and poor today.
Reminiscing
his presentation, a decade ago, on vision of Digital India, Modi remarked that
he had stated that India had to move forward with a holistic approach as
against a piece-meal approach. Shri Modi listed out the four pillars of Digital
India - Low-priced devices, extensive reach of digital connectivity to every
nook and corner of the country, easily accessible data and goal of ‘Digital
First’, which were identified and worked upon simultaneously, leading to good
results.
The
Prime Minister highlighted India's transformative achievements in connectivity
and telecom reforms and emphasized how the country has built a robust network
of thousands of mobile towers across remote tribal, hilly, and border areas,
ensuring connectivity for every household.
He said that
the government has created a strong network of mobile towers across the
country. The Prime Minister underscored the remarkable advancements in
infrastructure, including the rapid installation of Wi-Fi facilities at public
places like railway stations and the connection of islands like Andaman-Nicobar
and Lakshadweep through undersea cables. “In just 10 years, India has laid
optical fiber which is eight times the distance between Earth and the Moon”, he
added.
Modi also
pointed out India's rapid adoption of 5G technology and said that 5G technology
was launched two years ago and today nearly every district is connected, making
India the world's second-largest 5G market. He further mentioned that India is
already progressing towards 6G technology, ensuring a future-ready infrastructure.
Discussing
telecom sector reforms, the Prime Minister noted India's efforts in lowering
data costs. He said that the cost of internet data in India is now as low as 12
cents per GB compared to many countries in the world where one GB of data is 10
to 20 times more expensive. “Today, every Indian consumes about 30 GB of data
on an average every month”, he said.
Modi
noted that all such efforts have been taken to a new scale by the fourth pillar
i.e. the spirit of digital first. He underlined that India democratized digital
technology and created digital platforms where innovations on these
platforms created millions of new opportunities. Shri Modi highlighted the
transformative power of the JAM Trinity—Jan Dhan, Aadhaar, and Mobile—saying it
has laid the foundation for countless innovations. He mentioned Unified
Payments Interface (UPI) which has provided new opportunities for many
companies and also spoke about ONDC which will revolutionize digital commerce.
The Prime Minister pointed out the role of digital platforms during the
COVID-19 pandemic ensuring seamless processes such as financial transfers to
those in need, real-time communication of guidelines, vaccination drive
and handing out digital vaccine certificates. Reflecting on India’s success,
the Prime Minister expressed the nation's willingness to share its digital
public infrastructure experience globally. The Prime Minister said India's
digital bouquet can elevate welfare schemes worldwide highlighting India’s
emphasis on Digital Public Infrastructure during G20 Presidency. He
underlined that the nation is happy to share its DPI knowledge with all
countries.
Emphasizing
the importance of Network of women initiative during the WTSA, Modi highlighted
that India was working very seriously on women led development. He added that
the commitment was taken forward during India’s presidency of G-20. The Prime
Minister underlined that India was working towards the goal of making the
technology sector inclusive by empowering the women through technology
platforms. He highlighted the crucial role of women scientists in India’s Space
missions, rising number of women co-founders in India’s start-ups.
The Prime
minister also noted that there was a 40 percent share of women students in
India's STEM education and India was creating umpteen opportunities for women
in technology leadership. Shri Modi also highlighted the Namo Drone Didi
program of the Government, to promote drone revolution in agriculture, was
being led by women from villages in India. He added that India also started the
Bank Sakhi program to take digital banking and digital payments to every home
which had led to digital awareness. Highlighting the critical role of Asha and
Anganwadi workers in India’s primary healthcare, maternity and child care, Shri
Modi remarked that today these workers were tracking all the work through tabs
and apps. He added that India was also running the Mahila E-Haat program, an
online marketing platform for women entrepreneurs. He further added that it was
unimaginable that today women of India in every village were working on such
technology. Shri Modi expressed hope that in the times to come, India will
expand its scope further where every daughter of India would be a tech leader.
The
Prime Minister reiterated the importance of establishing a global framework for
digital technology. He emphasized that this topic was raised by India during
its G-20 Presidency and urged global institutions to recognize its significance
for global governance. “The time has come for global institutions to accept the
importance of global governance”, PM Modi stated. Stressing the need to create
a ‘Do’s and Don'ts’ for technology on the global level, the Prime Minister
highlighted the borderless nature of digital tools and applications and urged
for international collaboration in combating cyber threats and collective
action by global institutions. He drew parallels with the aviation sector which
already has well-established frameworks. PM Modi called upon the WTSA to take a
proactive role in creating a secure digital ecosystem and safe channel for
telecommunication. “In an interconnected world, security cannot be an
afterthought. India's Data Protection Act and National Cyber Security Strategy
reflect our commitment to building a safe digital environment”, he noted. The
Prime Minister urged the members of the assembly to create standards that are
inclusive, secure, and adaptable to future challenges, including ethical AI and
data privacy standards that respect the diversity of nations.
The
Prime Minister emphasized the need for a human-centric dimension to the ongoing
technological revolution, calling for responsible and sustainable innovation.
He said that the standards set today will determine the direction of the
future, stressing that principles of security, dignity and equity should be at
the centre of our discussions. He said our goal should be that no country, no
region and no community is left behind in this digital transformation and
underscored the need for innovation balanced with inclusion. He urged to ensure
that the future is technically strong as well as ethically sound with
innovation as well as inclusion. Concluding the address, the Prime Minister
conveyed his best wishes for the success of WTSA and also extended his support.
Union
Minister for Communication, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Union Minister of State
for Communication, Chandrasekhar Pemmasani were present on the occasion along
with various industry leaders.
World
Telecommunication Standardization Assembly or WTSA is the governing conference
for the standardization work of International Telecommunication Union, the
United Nations Agency for Digital Technologies, organized every four years. It
is for the first time that the ITU-WTSA will be hosted in India and the
Asia-Pacific. It is a pivotal global event that will bring together more than
3,000 industry leaders, policy-makers and tech experts from over 190 countries,
representing telecom, digital and ICT sectors.
WTSA
2024 will provide a platform for countries to discuss and decide the future of
standards of next-generation critical technologies like 6G, AI, IoT, Big Data,
cybersecurity, etc. Hosting this event in India will provide the country an
opportunity to play a key role in shaping the global telecom agenda and to set
the course for future technologies. Indian startups and research institutions
are set to gain critical insights into developing Intellectual Property Rights
and Standard Essential Patents.
India
Mobile Congress will showcase India’s innovation ecosystem, where leading
telecom companies and innovators will highlight advancements in Quantum
technology and Circular Economy along with spotlight on 6G, 5G use-case
showcase, cloud & edge computing, IoT, semiconductors, cybersecurity, green
tech, satcom and electronics manufacturing.
India
Mobile Congress, Asia’s largest digital technology forum, has become a
well-known platform across the globe for showcasing innovative solutions,
services and state-of-the-art use cases for industry, government, academics,
startups and other key stakeholders in the technology and telecom ecosystem.
The India Mobile Congress will showcase over 400 exhibitors, about 900
startups, and participation from over 120 countries. The event also aims to showcase
more than 900 technology use case scenarios, host more than 100 sessions and
discussion with over 600 global and Indian speakers.