IMC 2024: India’s largest technology fair, India Mobile Congress (IMC 2024) looks excited to draw a new line this year. After scanning the event for two days, it was understood that the talk in the field of tech has now gone far beyond 5G and we are about to dive into the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The dream of Digital India that we saw a few years ago, we have progressed so much that the world is seeing us as a 6G leader.
Every pavilion of IMC shows and tells that Indian companies, our startups and educational institutes are writing new stories in everything from research and development to product innovation. So why not start from an educational institute?
Gyan Innovation Lab and IIIT Kottayam are showcasing a technology at IMC which Kerala Police is using to solve even the toughest cases. It is called VEMP (Virtual Event Management Platform). After reaching any crime scene, police officers take pictures and make videos of the crime scene with their 5G enabled smartphones. They are then uploaded to VEMP.
VEMP transforms entire crime scenes into virtual 3D in the Metaverse. This makes it easier for police officers to investigate the case, especially when the case is handed over to a new team. The youngsters coming out of IIIT now want to add infrared to this technology, after which there will be no need to take photos from mobile. Infrared will capture the crime scene with more accuracy.
Like IIIT, pass out students from Delhi Technological University (DTU) have formed a company named Garg Defense and Aerospace. This few months old startup has developed many types of drones, one of which, Kamikaze drone, has started being used in the field of defense. Garv and his colleague present at the stall told that Kamikaze is a suicide drone and dies only after killing its target. These students are trying to get funding to give growth to their startup.
We reached the booth of another IIT. Had a formal conversation with the professor I met at the booth of IIT BHU. This prestigious institute of India has prepared many research papers on 6G. The gist of the conversation here was that India can be the first in launching 6G mobile network. When we asked the question on manufacturing of 6G equipment, the professor admitted that it is still difficult to challenge China in manufacturing.
Jio, Airtel, Vi ‘one side’, BSNL has taken a different path!
Like every year in IMC 2024, this time also the booths of Jio, Airtel and Voda-Idea are nearby. We have already seen some innovations of Jio like gaming in virtual world. I like the concept of cloud PC. Jio says that when ‘Jio Cloud PC’ is launched, people will be able to convert their SmartTV into a PC. All they need is Jio’s internet connection and Cloud PC subscription. Then by attaching it with keyboard and mouse, the TV can be used as an all-rounder PC.
Airtel, drenched in red color, has also showcased many technologies at IMC, but the focus is on satellite internet communication. Just as Elon Musk’s company Starlink is providing its satellite internet services to the world, similarly Airtel is also doing this work in collaboration with Oneweb. Satellite internet service has not yet started in India for the common people, but its initial use has started in the field of defence.
I found the Voda-Idea booth beyond belief. Vi, which lagged far behind in launching 5G mobile network, had more crowd at its booth than Jio-Airtel. However, the reason for this is not the technology, but the YouTuber’s arrival there and the crowd being excited to take pictures with him.
BSNL’s booth, a short distance away from the stalls of Jio, Airtel and Vi, is also thriving this year. There was a time when people used to say that BSNL would not be tolerated even by God. The same BSNL is selling its 5G ready SIM in IMC 2024 for just Rs 250. The company is assuring people that its 4G and 5G networks are going to be launched soon.
Big players like Ericsson, Qualcomm, Nokia, STL, TCS, Intel, AMD have also arrived in IMC 2024. MediaTek is also there. There are ‘fancy’ showcases like the robot dog at Ericsson’s booth, the new Redmi A4 5G smartphone at Qualcomm’s booth. AMD, Intel are showing off the AI capabilities of their processors. Nokia’s booth is more technologically rich. Saw many more companies, which have come to the event with B2B (Business to Business) model.
India Mobile Congress will be held today on 17th and tomorrow on 18th October. If you are interested in technology and innovation, then come to Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.