NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the International Telecommunication Union - World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA) 2024 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. PM 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 PM welcomed the Union Minister for Communication  Jyotiradiya Scindia, Minister of State for Communication  Chandrasekhar  Pemmasani, Secretary General of  ITU Ms. 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  Modi. Listing the achievements of India,  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 PM 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 PM said that WTSA’s experience would provide new energy to India. 

The PM underlined that WTSA empowers the world via consensus and while India Mobile Congress strengthens the world through connectivity. Therefore,  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 PM 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 PM remarked. In such a situation, said the PM, 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 PM 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.  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 PM 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 PM 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 PM 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.

PM 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.  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 PM 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 PM expressed the nation's willingness to share its digital public infrastructure experience globally. The PM 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 PM 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 PM 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.  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,  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.  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 PM 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 PM 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 PM 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 PM 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 center 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 PM conveyed his best wishes for the success of WTSA and also extended his support.