Bringing together Expertise, Innovation, & Foresight
India Mobile Congress
Podcast:
The telecommunications industry is expanding at a rapid pace and constantly evolving with new advancements and innovations that push the boundaries of what is possible every day. The India Mobile Congress Podcast offers insights from industry experts who are leading the charge in transforming businesses and changing lives.
Playlists
Episode Description
Munish Seth, Group Managing Director of Altius Telecom Infrastructure Trust, talks with Danish Khan about how India’s data explosion and 5G rollout are creating massive opportunities for digital infrastructure companies. Speaking at the India Mobile Congress, he highlights the critical role of towers and data centers in connecting urban and rural India, the policy changes enabling faster network deployment, and how Altius is positioned to support telcos in scaling capacity and coverage across the country.
Episode Description
At India Mobile Congress 2025, Asia’s largest telecom and technology event, Ramakrishna P breaks down how the platform is driving collaboration across 5G, 6G, AI, cloud, and semiconductor ecosystems. He explains how IMC has evolved into a global stage for showcasing India’s digital innovation, manufacturing strength, and policy leadership, bringing together industry leaders, startups, and government stakeholders to shape the future of connected technologies.
Episode Description
In an exclusive podcast with Moneycontrol’s Danish Khan, Pegatron India's AVP and Country Manager Jayant Moghe reveals the company’s next big step — a new factory in Chennai dedicated to manufacturing 5G small cells for India’s private 5G market and exports to Europe and Southeast Asia. In this conversation, he talks about Pegatron’s vision for AI-driven manufacturing, plans to localize components, and how the company is working with Indian partners and startups to build cost-effective 5G and IoT devices. Moghe also shares insights on Pegatron’s collaboration with Apple, whose iPhone factory in Chennai has now been taken over by Tata Electronics, and why India is central to the company’s global telecom ambitions.
Episode Description
Narendranath Gangavarapu, Joint Secretary at the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS), discusses India’s evolving cyber defence architecture and the upcoming National Cybersecurity Strategy. Speaking to Moneycontrol at the India Mobile Congress, he explains how quantum computing could disrupt current encryption systems, how India is preparing for “post-quantum” security, and why a coordinated cyber strategy across sectors — from power to space — is now critical.
Episode Description
In an exclusive conversation with Moneycontrol's Danish Khan at the India Mobile Congress 2025, Dr. S.P. Kochhar, Director General of COAI, said India’s telecom sector is at a critical juncture — balancing the world’s fastest 5G rollout with financial pressures from low tariffs and rising infrastructure costs.
Episode Description
Rakuten Symphony is gearing up for a 5G pilot project with India’s state-run BSNL, marking a significant step in its collaboration with Indian technology partners. Sharad Sriwastawa, co-CEO of Rakuten Mobile, shares insights on how the company is working closely with Indian vendors like Tejas Networks for radio and core hardware, and eyeing deployment of Indian-made telecom equipment in Japan once they meet rigorous quality standards.
Episode Description
In a conversation with Moneycontrol on the sidelines of the India Mobile Congress, Meity's additional secretary Abhishek Singh talks about the scope of India AI mission, building an Indian LLM and why India AI mission's budget should not be compared to Project Stargate in the US. He also said the government is working towards bringing back tech talent from the US. Further, he said India has never shied away from allowing foreign companies to set up shop in India, even as it builds its own alternatives.
Episode Description
Lt. Gen. A.K. Bhatt (Retd), Director General of the Indian Space Association (ISpA), on the sidelines of the India Mobile Congress talks about the urgent need to accelerate spectrum allocation for satellite communication (SATCOM). He explains how seamless 6G-era connectivity will blend satellite and terrestrial networks, why affordability remains a challenge for rural India and how public-private partnerships can help bridge the digital divide.
Episode Description
fter years of stagnant growth, India’s smartphone market is poised for a major breakthrough. Qualcomm India President Savi Soin reveals how on-device AI-moving beyond just flagship models into mass-market smartphones-will spark the “next G moment” in India’s tech landscape. In this video on the sidelines of the India Mobile Congress, he spoke about how AI-powered user experiences will transform everyday smartphone interactions and unlock a new wave of consumer demand, reshaping the future of mobile technology in India.
Episode Description
Satellite broadband services like Starlink and OneWeb promise to expand internet coverage across India, but GSMA Director General Vivek Badrinath argues the bigger challenge lies elsewhere. With extensive rural networks already in place, the real barrier is affordable smartphone access and digital literacy. In this video on the sidelines of India Mobile Congress, Vivek Badrinath explains why empowering billions through better smartphone availability and usage is the true path to closing India’s digital gap—not just relying on satellite connectivity.
Episode Description
In this episode of the Moneycontrol Podcast, Danish Khan speaks with Vivek Bansal, Co-founder and President of VVDN Technologies, about the company’s global expansion, India’s electronics manufacturing momentum, and the government’s new policy push. Bansal discusses VVDN’s plans to set up a manufacturing facility in the United States to meet local production requirements, particularly for city defense products, while continuing to scale its design and manufacturing operations in India.
Episode Description
India’s technology and startup landscape is undergoing a major shift — and the biggest opportunities might just lie outside the usual metro hubs. In this video on the sidelines of the India Mobile Congress we dive into how Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) is ramping up its efforts to build the next generation of tech entrepreneurs in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities across India. From expanding centres to funding deep-tech startups, the mission is clear: turn India into a software-product nation and spread the startup ecosystem far beyond Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi.
Episode Description
In this episode of the Moneycontrol Podcast, Danish Khan speaks with Udayan Mukherjee, Senior Fellow and Chief Architect at Intel’s Network and Communication Group, about how the telecom industry is evolving with Open RAN, AI, and 6G technologies. Mukherjee explains how virtualization is transforming the RAN layer, Intel’s work in ORAN deployments across the U.S., Japan, and Europe, and how India is beginning to adopt these technologies. He also highlights Intel’s massive R&D footprint in Bengaluru, which now plays a critical role in designing both silicon and software for global telecom systems.
Episode Description
In this episode of the Moneycontrol Tech Podcast, host Danish Khan sits down with Anku Jain, Managing Director of MediaTek India, to discuss India’s rapidly evolving smartphone and semiconductor landscape. Jain outlines MediaTek’s strategy to democratize 5G, highlighting how its broad chipset portfolio helps brands build affordable and premium devices alike. He also discusses India’s progress in semiconductor manufacturing, the government’s PLI schemes, and why this time the ecosystem is finally taking shape. The conversation touches on MediaTek’s 47% market share, growing R&D footprint, collaborations with startups, and expansion into automotive, data center, and AI-driven technologies. Jain also shares insights on AI innovation in smartphones and MediaTek’s readiness for the satellite communication (SATCOM) era.
Episode Description
On the sidelines of IMC 2025, PB Fintech Executive Vice-Chairman Alok Bansal joins Chandra R. Srikanth to discuss India’s healthcare paradox — world-class hospitals but a broken insurance claims system. He shares why urgent reforms, digital innovation, and trust-building are key to fixing India’s insurance ecosystem.
Episode Description
On the sidelines of IMC 2025, ixigo Co-founder Aloke Bajpai joins Chandra R. Srikanth to discuss why India must elevate its holiday experience to compete with global hotspots like Bali and Vietnam — and how technology, infrastructure, and traveler-focused innovation can transform the future of Indian tourism.
Episode Description
In a conversation with Moneycontrol on the sidelines of the India Mobile Congress, S. Krishnan talks about India’s vision to become a product nation, the government’s push for indigenous tech alternatives, and how MeitY plans to build globally competitive capabilities in AI, semiconductors, and digital products.
Episode Description
In this episode, Sharat Sinha, CEO of Airtel Business, breaks down how Airtel is transforming Indian enterprises with Private 5G, AI, and Airtel Cloud. From powering smart factories with autonomous robots to delivering sovereign, AI-ready cloud services, Airtel is enabling businesses to boost productivity, secure operations, and harness next-gen digital infrastructure. Learn how AI, low-latency 5G, and robust cloud platforms are shaping the future of enterprise operations in India, Airtel CEO Sharat Sinha speaks about their plan at India Mobile Congress.
Episode Description
Ericsson CTO Erik Ekudden shares insights on the next era of mobile innovation at the India Mobile Congress, explaining how 6G, AI, and satellite communications will transform India’s digital landscape. He highlights India’s early push to influence global 6G standards, the role of resilient networks for enterprises, and how AI-enabled telecom can unlock new growth opportunities. Learn how Ericsson envisions 6G shaping smart industries, low-latency communications, and a connected future.
Episode Description
In this exclusive podcast with Moneycontrol’s Danish Khan, Sanjay Malik, Chief Strategy and Business Officer of Tejas Networks, talks about India’s first indigenous 4G/5G telecom stack—designed, manufactured, and supported entirely in India in collaboration with TCS and C-DOT. Malik reveals how Tejas plans to export the technology to over 75 countries, leveraging both its global footprint and government-to-government partnerships. He also discusses the company’s 5G-ready radios, AI-driven networks, and upcoming 6G research. From BSNL’s nationwide rollout to future private operator engagements, Malik outlines Tejas’ ambition to make India a global telecom technology hub.
Episode Description
In an exclusive podcast with Moneycontrol’s Danish Khan, Fortinet India Country Manager Vivek Srivastava talks about how AI has become both the biggest weapon and defense in today’s cyber landscape. He explains that attackers are using AI to automate and scale cyberattacks, but AI is also empowering defenders through faster detection and automated response systems. Srivastava highlights Fortinet’s dual use of AI — both in its global threat intelligence systems (“FortiAI” and FortiGuard Labs, analyzing billions of events daily) and in customer-facing AI tools that help enterprises manage complex security operations even with limited manpower.
Episode Description
In this in-depth interview on the sidelines of the Indian Mobile Congress, Vimal Kumar, Vice President & Global Head – Network Solutions Group at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), shares his insights on how TCS is shaping the future of telecommunications.
? He discusses the role of next-gen technologies — from 5G/6G to service platforms — in transforming communication service providers.
? He offers a strategic perspective on digital transformation and how networks are evolving into intelligent, software-driven platforms.
? Vimal also touches upon TCS’s contribution to innovation, operational excellence, and how it’s helping telcos become true digital enterprises.

