Day 2 of the 9th Edition of the Indian Mobile Congress (IMC 2025) unfolded with a strong focus on Artificial Intelligence, the 6G roadmap, and the inauguration of the International AI Summit and API Hackathon. Asia’s largest telecom, media, and technology forum, jointly organized by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), continued to spotlight India’s accelerating digital transformation and growing global influence in technology innovation.
The day began with a Leadership Dialogue Round Table chaired by Jyotiraditya M Scindia, Minister of Communications and Development of North Eastern Region, engaging leading CEOs on the theme ‘Charting India’s Telecom Vision’. Later, Dr. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development, led an interactive session titled ‘CTO Insights: Aligning Innovation with Policy for Digital Leadership with Indian and global technology leaders.
Also read: IMC 2025 Kicks Off – Industry Hails PM Modi’s Vision
The Women in Tech session featured a keynote by Rekha Gupta, Chief Minister of Delhi, who underscored the pivotal role of women in shaping India’s digital journey. Other major highlights included the inauguration of the International AI Summit and the Open API Hackathon, both aimed at accelerating innovation and collaboration in emerging technologies.
The day also featured thought-provoking panel discussions covering themes such as Nation Builders: How Unicorns and Government Are Co-Creating the Future, Democratizing Intelligence: Building India’s AI Infrastructure, Rewriting the Rules: Gen AI and the Future of Enterprises, Future Gadgets: Designed and Built from India, Responsible AI: India’s Role in Global Governance and Societal Impact, and Industry Leaders Panel: Key 6G Use Cases and Enabling 6G Technologies.
What Industry Leaders and Policymakers had to say on IMC 2025 Day 2
Jyotiraditya M Scindia, Minister of Communications and Development of North Eastern Region, said,: ”IMC 2025 heralds not only telecom but digital connectivity for every citizen of India, signaling the nation’s rise as a global launchpad for products and services. India has transformed from a services-driven nation to a value-chain powerhouse. From the mobile revolution to chip manufacturing and adopting advanced technology, our growth, fueled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Digital India and Start-up India, has been phenomenal. Our rise is also powered by our entrepreneurs and start-ups, supported by a government that is not a regulator but a facilitator—working around the table, not across it. While policy is providing the runway, entrepreneurs are providing the flight. Today we are ready to design in India, solve in India, and scale for the world—turning local innovation into global leadership.”
Rekha Gupta, Chief Minister of Delhi, highlighted: ”This year’s event truly embodies the power of ideas, inclusion, and innovation. Across the country, thousands of startups and millions of individuals are building a future driven by technology. Women are no longer on the sidelines but leading from the front with determination and vision. India has emerged as a global leader in digital payments and connectivity, and it is our collective strength that has made this possible. Swadeshi today goes beyond products, reflecting a mindset that champions self-reliance across every sector, including education, healthcare, and technology. When women rise, the entire nation rises, shaping a future that is digital, inclusive, innovative, and deeply rooted in Indian pride.”
Berjesh Chawla, MD and Lead – Communications, Media and Technology, Accenture in India, said: ”Telcos in India stand at the center of the AI revolution—with a once-in-a-generation chance to reinvent how they operate, engage, and grow. To lead in this new tech order, they must be AI inside to sell AI outside, transforming networks, processes, and platforms into intelligent, sovereign engines of growth. Connectivity isn’t just infrastructure anymore—it’s the launchpad for India’s digital future.”
Aditi Chaturvedi, Head of Platform and Device Policy, Google India, said: ”Frauds and scams deprive user trust in us and seriously impacts the way we [Google] present the information. We have a principle-based approach and three essential pillars in how we address frauds and scams. One is by protecting our users. The second is by ensuring that the information we provide to users is reliable. And the third is by collaboration.”
Anku Jain, Managing Director, MediaTek India, said: ”The core of our AI strategy is all about understanding the real-world operational pain points within our teams. In today’s enterprise, adoption is a bottom-up process of discovery. The real value comes from how effectively we connect AI’s power to the specific, everyday challenges across our entire workforce. Integrating AI to solve these tangible problems has allowed us to make processes more efficient while rapidly increasing employee adoption and saving significant manpower.”
Vinod Saharan, Vice President – IoT, VVDN, said: ”India has long been active in design, and is steadily advancing in product design and manufacturing. Experience-led design is also gaining traction. Given the nation’s evolving needs, healthcare—especially medical gadgets—offers immense growth potential, with opportunities in AR/VR-driven diagnostics, remote care, and device repair. With immense talent, available tools, funding and government support in place, the next leap lies in fostering a stronger ecosystem and mindset—one that moves towards need-based designing and manufacturing. Harnessing AI for precision and safety and creating differentiated products will position India as a global leader in innovative designing and manufacturing.”
Rehan Nedaria, CTO, Service Provider, Cisco, said: ”I believe our approach to Artificial Intelligence should mirror the success story of Digital India. We have already demonstrated to the world the transformative power of democratizing technology — through initiatives like UPI and DigiYatra, all built on the robust foundation of the India Stack. As we embark on the journey to harness AI, our vision is the same, to democratize Artificial Intelligence and make its benefits accessible to every citizen, business, and institution. To realize this vision, we must invest in building massive and resilient infrastructure, anchored on four critical pillars: computing power, data, networking, and security.”
Erik Ekudden, Senior Vice President and Group CTO, Ericsson, said: ”As we move towards 6G, with breakthroughs like battery-less sensors and advanced positioning, we unlock even greater potential. The real power lies in building applications once and scaling them globally, thanks to open APIs, edge AI, and secure, high-performance networks. This is not just about faster speeds. It’s about networks becoming intelligent platforms for innovation, automation, and sustainable growth. The next decade will redefine how governments, enterprises, and consumers interact with technology.”
Pasi Toivanen, VP NI Strategic Partnerships and Ecosystem, Nokia, said: ”Innovation in AI is not about individual capabilities, but about creating an ecosystem that democratizes access. We must enable startups and academic institutions to leverage advanced AI resources through flexible, affordable models that transform potential into tangible technological progress.”
Organized by DoT and COAI, IMC 2025 is being held from October 8–11, 2025, in New Delhi. The event is expected to attract over 1.5 lakh visitors from 150+ countries, featuring more than 400 exhibitors and 7,000 delegates. The flagship startup program ASPIRE, introduced in 2023, will host over 500 startups connecting with 300+ investors, incubators, and VCs through mentorship sessions, live pitches, and networking opportunities. With over 800 speakers across 100 sessions, IMC continues to be Asia’s premier platform driving the future of digital innovation and technology convergence.
