Connecting 100 Billion Devices

Mobile phone has played an important role in connecting billion Indians. It now needs to enable machines to increase industrial efficiency

- Sanjay Malik

As the world grapples with the pandemic, we are all adapting to the new ways of working and conducting our daily lives amidst social distancing and public lockdowns. I can proudly say that that the India mobile telecommunication industry has come a long way as it enables the society and business to continue through these tough times.

Famous philosopher Lao Tzu said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. This sounds so apt when we look back at the journey of our industry that started 25 years back with the first mobile call in July 1995.

Today, we are at the cusp of a profound shift in the Indian telecom industry. In the last 25 years, the telecom sector has been pivotal in leading India towards economic success and has completely transformed the social landscape of the country. From mobile the phone being an accessory of the rich to becoming an essential tool for development – a lot has changed for the people of this country.

• From the first 11 base stations established in Kolkata to over 1.5 million base stations today spread across the country.

• Telecom-centric technology is more accessible and affordable with the cost of deploying base-stations vastly reduced as we deploy 3-4 base stations at the cost of one base station.

• Telecom industry is generating employment for over four million people despite the humble beginning.