Convergence India 2017: Hi-tech Showcase Offers a Glimpse into the Future

Convergence India 2017 this year presented a complete picture of the current industry landscape and emerging technologies in the ICT, broadcast and digital media sectors.

Covering a broad set of topics, starting from ‘Digital India campaign’ to ‘How Internet of Things is Transforming Business for Enterprises’ to ‘Why Adoption of Cloud Technology is Important’ to ‘5G-The Next Big Step in Mobile Communication Technologies and How It will Revolutionise the Customer Experience’ to ‘Digitization Challenges in India’ to ‘Next Gen TV’, the sessions engage in discussions crucial to the advancement of the ICT, broadcast and digital media sectors.

At the inaugural conference session, ‘Digital India,’ discussions focused on the Digital India 2020 priorities and building a successful digital service ecosystem.

BVR Mohan Reddy, Founder & Executive Chairman, Cyient, India, said, “One of the biggest examples of Digital India is JAM, i.e. Jan Dhan, Aadhar and Mobile connectivity. With such initiatives, we can see direct benefit being transferred to the end user. The biggest challenge in India is a lack of quality education and therefore many people still cannot use any of the digital platforms. Additionally, there is an urgent need to address cyber security issues.”

Stating that the three pillars of the Digital India campaign include vision of the government, policy matters, and user behaviour, Sanjay Kaul, Managing Director, CISCO, India & SAARC, said, “Digitization will impact all industries and it may seem as a disruption in the beginning, but at the end it will be valuable for the progress of the country.”

The session, ‘Mobile Phone Industry - Torch bearer of the Make in India and the Digital India initiatives,’ witnessed discussions aimed at strengthening the Indian mobile phone manufacturing ecosystem in sync with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ and ‘Digital India’ initiatives.

Ramesh Vasvani, Senior Advisor, Intex, India, said, “Mobile phones have created a great success story in India and are a boon to our economy. The mobile handset manufacturing industry has emerged as a platform for schemes like Make in India and Digital India, which has helped in increased transactions through e-wallets.”

Sunil Raina, Business Head, Xolo, India, added, “One of the greatest advantages is that most of the software for mobile phones is created in India.”

In the current budget announcement, the government said that it’ll be providing internet services to all the 2.5 lakh gram panchayats by the end of next year to promote “less cash economy”. One lakh gram panchayats are to be connected by underground Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) by March this year under the first phase of BharatNet project.Under the second phase of BharatNet project, remaining 1.5 lakh gram panchayats are to be provided connectivity by December 2018. This would be done through a mix of underground fibre cables, fibre over power lines, radio and satellite media.

Under the second phase of BharatNet project, remaining 1.5 lakh gram panchayats are to be provided connectivity by December 2018. This would be done through a mix of underground fibre cables, fibre over power lines, radio and satellite media.