The 8th edition of India Mobile Congress (IMC) commenced on October 15th. This four-day event, which is the largest tech event in Asia, witnessed Jio's chairman, Akash Ambani, presenting two significant demands to the government. Ambani advocated for the establishment of data centres in India to store AI (Artificial Intelligence) and Indian users' data. He directly addressed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia with these demands.
During the event, Akash Ambani also lauded Prime Minister Modi's leadership and highlighted the improved start-up ecosystem for Indian mobile companies. He emphasised that India now has the capability to offer AI solutions to the world, including developed countries, thanks to the government's support in promoting industry and innovation. He also mentioned that the government's efforts have led to a significant digital revolution in India, transforming the business landscape and catering to the needs of 1.45 billion Indians.
Akash Ambani’s demand
At the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2024, Jio's chairman urged the government to focus on achieving self-reliance in AI and implementing a data centre policy specific to Indian users. Acknowledging the rapid increase in data generation in India, Ambani stressed the need to establish AI and machine learning data centres in the country. He also requested the government to update the Data Center Policy 2020 to align with the evolving technological landscape.
In addition, Akash Ambani pledged that Jio, as a telecom company, would not only lead mobile innovation in India but also harness the power of AI for a connected and intelligent future, which is expected to create new employment opportunities, similar to the impact of the computer and internet revolution.
Apart from Jio, other telecom giants like Airtel and Vi also underscored the significance of AI at the IMC. Airtel Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal highlighted the telecom operator's commitment to providing secure communication to users through the recently launched AI spam call and message blocking technology. Kumar Mangalam Birla, the Chairman of Vodafone-Idea, also expressed readiness to collaborate with the government in leveraging AI for various initiatives.
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