Record Number of delegates attend the ITU WTSA-24
The Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA-24) yesterday, alongside the India Mobile Congress (IMC), Asia’s largest technology expo. Detailed press releases are available at:
https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2064957
https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2064942
https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2064936
This year’s WTSA-24 witnesses3300 delegates, including 36 ministers, from over 160 countries, the highest ever for any WTSA assembly. The forum will focus on next-generation technologies, including 6G, satellite communications, quantum technology, and Artificial Intelligence (AI), all essential for a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
The inaugural session of WTSA was followed by opening plenary meetings where various committees were formed for carrying out different functions during the assembly. The delegates of WTSA-24 unanimously elected Shri R.R. Mittar from India as the Chair for WTSA-24. He is an eminent telecom expert and former Advisor at Department of Telecommunications, Government of India. He was spearheading the standardisation work at Telecom Engineering Centre (TEC).
At the side-lines of WTSA and India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2024, many events have been scheduled. Yesterday a roundtable conference of Chief Ministers, State Government IT Ministers and IT Secretaries was heldat IMC 2024 by Sh. Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Minister of Communications and Development of the North eastern Region along with Sh. Pema Khandu, Chief Minister, Arunachal Pradesh, Sh. Conrad Kongkal Sangma, Chief Minister Meghalaya, Dr. Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, Minister of State for Communication and Rural Development, Dr. Neeraj Mittal, Secretary, Department of Telecommunications, Ministers from Karnataka, Gujarat, Telangana, Assam, Sikkim, Odisa, Tamil Nadu, Nagaland, Rajasthan, Mizoram, Bihar, Goa, Punjab and Andaman & Nicobar.
Minister Scindia apprised the respective state ministers and dignitaries about the advancement that countryis making in the area of telecommunications along with new initiatives that the Ministry is undertaking to take the telecom sector to a new high. He urged states for 100% scalable execution andassured themthat the central government stands with the states not only shoulder to shoulder but also before them to help them achieve their goals.
Minister of State Dr. Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar exhorted states to create environment for Digital Innovation to provide best of the services to every citizen of the country.
The States were also sensitized about the issues of Cyber Security of State IT infrastructure and IoT security, requirement of the States support for implementation of Bharat net and 4G saturation project including Right of Way, space/land allotment, power and utilization of the network.
The ways to promote State startups and the role of States and UTs in the rollout of 4G/5G use cases, promotion of State Startup for next level of investment by DoT, business opportunities, were also discussed.
Later in the day Minister Sh. Jyotiraditya M. Scindia visited various stalls at India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2024and inaugurated multiple cutting-edge Make in India telecom products. He launchedindigenously developed highly complex 6G wireless link in Sub THz with 10 GBPS data over the air at Bharat Pavillion of SAMEER (Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research). Other Make in India products launched included AI-DC Optical Solution by STL,which will connect GPUs in AI-led data centres and 2 Gbps Point to Multipoint UBR Radio by HFCL which offers affordable last mile connectivity. Additionally, global launch of an affordable Snapdragon 5G chipset by Qualcomm was done by the Minister.
ITU- Expo at WTSA24 and India Mobile Congress are 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. These are open for public to experience.