Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurates 10th edition of India Mobile Congress

1. At a Glance

• The India Mobile Congress (IMC) is India's main telecom and technology event. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) organise it together. [8]
• The 10th edition (IMC 2026) runs 7–10 October 2026 at Yashobhoomi (India International Convention & Expo Centre), New Delhi. Its theme is "Scale without boundaries". [2][3]
• The PM's address presented the mobile phone as a tool of good governance and the core of Digital India. He described Digital India as an effort to democratise technology. [1]
• The topic is relevant to GS-III (IT, infrastructure, indigenisation) and GS-II (e-governance). IMC has also been where policy is announced: India's 5G launch in 2022 and the ITU-WTSA in 2024. [1][4][7]

2. Why in the News

• 8 Oct 2026: PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the 10th IMC at Yashobhoomi, New Delhi. [1]
• India hosted the GSMA Board meeting alongside IMC 2026. [1]
• The PM said 5G now reaches every district, served by more than 5.5 lakh base stations, with internet speeds up about tenfold. [1]
• The PM also noted Air Force Day (8 Oct) and his completion of 25 years as a Head of Government on 7 Oct 2026. [1]

3. Background & Evolution

• Original goal: the event began with the aim to "connect the next billion". [2]
• Milestones:
• 17 Sept (2023): the PM dedicated Yashobhoomi, Phase 1 of the India International Convention and Expo Centre, Dwarka, to the nation and launched PM Vishwakarma Yojana at the same event. [11]
• 1 Oct 2022: the PM launched 5G services at the 6th IMC (1–4 Oct 2022, Pragati Maidan). [4]
• IMC 2022: the PM also launched C-DOT's indigenous 5G NSA Core. [5]
• 2023: the 7th IMC was inaugurated by the PM, who said then that 5G would expand massively. [12][1]
• 15 Oct 2024: the PM inaugurated ITU-WTSA 2024 together with the 8th IMC, at Bharat Mandapam. [7]
• 8–11 Oct 2025: the 9th IMC was held at Yashobhoomi, Dwarka, with the theme "Innovate to Transform". [9][8]

• 7–10 Oct 2026: the 10th IMC, with the theme "Scale without boundaries". [2][3]

• Related initiatives:

• India signed a Host Country Agreement with ITU for an ITU Area Office & Innovation Centre in New Delhi. [14]
• DoT reforms include a Spectrum Regulatory Sandbox and the abolition of the Wireless Operating Licence requirement. [13]

4. Core Static Facts

Item	Fact
Organisers	DoT (Ministry of Communications) + COAI [8]
Union Minister of Communications (2026)	Jyotiraditya M. Scindia [2][3]
IMC 2026 edition / dates	10th; 7–10 Oct 2026 [2][3]
IMC 2026 venue	Yashobhoomi (IICC), Dwarka, New Delhi [3][11]
IMC 2026 theme	"Scale without boundaries" [2]
IMC 2026 scale	2,000+ technology use cases; 120+ sessions [2][3]
IMC 2025 theme	"Innovate to Transform" (9th edition) [8]
IMC 2025 scale	860 exhibitors; 1.4 lakh+ visitors; 918 speakers; 113 sessions [10]
IMC 2024 scale	400+ exhibitors; about 900 startups; 120+ countries [7]
IMC 2022 scale	362 speakers; 80 sessions; 1.07 lakh+ visitors [6]
WTSA 2024	First time in India and in Asia-Pacific; 3,000+ participants from 190+ countries [7]
5G footprint (Oct 2026)	Every district; more than 5.5 lakh base stations [1]

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

Economic

• IMC brings together operators, OEMs and startups. In 2025 its exhibitors included Airtel, Jio, Vi, Ericsson, Nokia, TCS, Qualcomm and Tejas Networks. [10]
• The PM linked the telecom boom to domestic manufacturing of devices and to wider infrastructure. [1]

Social

• Affordable data and devices reversed the trend of technology becoming an "elite privilege". [1]
• Mobile access kept offices, banks and schools running during the pandemic. It also widened digital learning through the DIKSHA platform. [1]

Scientific / Technological

• The indigenous 5G NSA Core (C-DOT) supports self-reliance in network technology. [5]
• The 5G rollout reached every district with about 10x speed gains. [1]

Geopolitical / Strategic

• Hosting ITU-WTSA 2024, the GSMA Board meeting (2026) and an ITU Area Office gives India a role in setting global telecom standards. [7][1][14]

Ethical / Governance

• The PM described the mobile phone as a tool of good governance and the core of Digital India. This is the basis for last-mile service delivery. [1]
• The Spectrum Regulatory Sandbox and licence abolition are examples of regulation designed to make compliance easier. [13]

6. Recent Developments (last 12–18 months)

• Mar 2026: Scindia led India's delegation at MWC 2026, Barcelona. [15]
• 2026: the IMC 2026 theme "Scale without boundaries" was unveiled. Scindia then reviewed final preparations at Yashobhoomi. [2][3]
• 8 Oct 2026: the PM inaugurated the 10th IMC; India hosted the GSMA Board meeting; 5G was declared present in every district. [1]
• Oct 2025: DoT and ITU hosted the "Robotics for Good Youth Challenge India 2025" at IMC 2025. [16]

7. Prelims Hooks

• The 10th edition of IMC was held in 2026; the 9th in 2025; the 8th in 2024. [2][9][7]
• IMC is organised jointly by DoT and COAI. COAI is an industry body, not a government body. [8]
• The IMC 2026 theme is "Scale without boundaries". [2]
• The IMC 2025 theme was "Innovate to Transform". [8]
• 5G services were launched on 1 Oct 2022 at the 6th IMC, held at Pragati Maidan. [4]
• C-DOT's indigenous 5G NSA Core was launched at IMC 2022. [5]
• ITU-WTSA 2024 was held at Bharat Mandapam. It was the first WTSA in India and in Asia-Pacific. [7]
• WTSA 2024 drew participants from 190+ countries. [7]
• Yashobhoomi is Phase 1 of the IICC, Dwarka. PM Vishwakarma Yojana was launched at its dedication. [11]
• By Oct 2026, 5G was running from more than 5.5 lakh base stations across every district. [1]
• India hosted the GSMA Board meeting in 2026. [1]
• 8 October is Air Force Day. [1]
• DoT reforms include a Spectrum Regulatory Sandbox and the abolition of the Wireless Operating Licence. [13]

8. What "5G in Every District" Does Not Tell You

• A district is a big unit, so the claim is easy to meet
• The PM said 5G now reaches every district, served by more than 5.5 lakh base stations [1].
• One working tower in a district town is enough to count that district as "covered".

• The claim says nothing about how many villages, or how many people, actually get a usable 5G signal.

• TRAI's own tests show calls drop far more often in hilly and remote areas

• TRAI checks network quality by driving through an area and measuring live calls. It calls these drive tests.
• Drop call rate (the share of calls that cut off midway) ranged from 0.00% to 3.34% in Agra [22].
• In Leh and on the Leh–Nubra–Pangong route it was 4.67% to 9.70% [21].
• In Shillong and East Khasi Hills it went as high as 12.19% [20].

• So the same "covered" label hides service in remote areas that can be several times worse.

• Speed figures come from the best spots

• Shillong recorded 5G download speeds of up to 157.15 Mbps [20].
• In the same test area, some operators still dropped up to 12.19% of calls [20].
• A high top speed and poor everyday reliability can exist in the same place, so judge both.

9. Why Operators Are Not Yet Earning from 5G

• Parliament's committee found few real uses for 5G yet
• The Standing Committee on Communications and IT (2024) found that the main 5G use cases expected to spread widely had not yet been realised [17].

• A use case is a practical job the technology does, such as running a factory robot or a remote health check.

• Weak demand means weak return on investment

• The same committee named insufficient return on investment (ROI — the money earned back on what was spent) as a key 5G problem for operators [17].
• Operators paid for spectrum and towers. Most users, though, use 5G for the same things they did on 4G: video and social media.

• Without new paying uses, operators find it hard to recover that cost. This slows their next round of investment.

• An expo is not proof of adoption

• IMC 2026 showcases 2,000+ technology use cases [2][3].
• A use case shown at a stall is a demonstration. The committee's concern is about use at scale in the real economy [17].
• In an answer, separate the two: "displayed" is not the same as "deployed".

10. The Fibre Under the Towers Is Running Late

• Mobile towers need fibre behind them
• A 5G tower talks to phones by radio. It then sends that data onward over optical fibre cable, called backhaul.

• Where there is no fibre, the tower is slow or cannot be built at all. BharatNet is meant to lay this fibre to every village.

• BharatNet has missed deadlines since it began

• It was approved in 2011. The target had to be revised in 2014 because of poor planning and design [17].
• Phase-I was due by March 2017 but was finished only in December 2017 [17].

• By September 2025, only about 2 lakh of India's 6.6 lakh villages were covered — about 31% [17].

• "Service ready" is not the same as "in use"

• By 19 March 2025, 2,18,347 gram panchayats (village councils) were marked service ready under BharatNet [18].
• Yet only 766 out of about one lakh gram panchayats had active Wi-Fi hotspots [17].

• The cable is laid, but few people are actually getting connected through it.

• The money is there, but it is not being spent

• Funds allocated to BharatNet have been underutilised since 2022-23 [17].
• The Amended BharatNet Programme is a publicly funded plan of about ₹1,39,000 crore [19].
• The problem is not mainly budget size. It is getting work done on the ground, village by village.

11. What Should Follow the Celebration

• DoT and Digital Bharat Nidhi should judge BharatNet by usage, not by kilometres of cable
• Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN) replaced the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) as BharatNet's funder [18].
• Today's headline number is gram panchayats "service ready" [18]. The weak number is active hotspots: 766 out of about one lakh [17].

• DBN should publish active connections per gram panchayat, so the gap between "laid" and "used" is visible.

• DoT should spread the state-led delivery model that is already running

• The Amended BharatNet Programme, approved by the Cabinet on 4 August 2023, aims to connect 2.64 lakh gram panchayats with fibre laid in a ring [18]. In a ring, the signal can take another path if one cable is cut.
• Gujarat now runs it under a state-led model [23]. Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have signed agreements with DBN and BSNL [24][25].

• States know local land and right-of-way rules better. This can cut the kind of delay seen in Phase-I [17].

• TRAI should report quality by district, not only by city

• TRAI already publishes drive tests that show the hill and remote gap [20][21].

• These are one-off tests of individual cities and routes. A regular district-wise report would test the "5G in every district" claim directly.

• DoT should act on the Standing Committee's point about 5G demand

• The committee linked weak 5G uptake to limited use cases and low returns [17].
• The Spectrum Regulatory Sandbox (a space where firms can test new wireless products under relaxed rules) [13] can be used to move IMC showcase use cases into real pilots in farms, factories and hospitals.

12. Anchors for Answers

• Data: By Sept 2025, BharatNet covered only about 31% of villages (about 2 lakh of 6.6 lakh) [17]
• Data: 2,18,347 gram panchayats service ready (19 March 2025), but only 766 of about one lakh gram panchayats have active Wi-Fi hotspots [18][17]
• Data: TRAI drive tests found drop call rates up to 12.19% in Shillong–East Khasi Hills and 9.70% in Leh, against at most 3.34% in Agra [20][21][22]
• Report/Committee: Standing Committee on Communications and IT (2024) — few 5G use cases realised; operators not earning enough back on 5G [17]
• Law/Case: Telecommunications Act, 2023 — Digital Bharat Nidhi replaced USOF as the fund for rural connectivity [18]
• Scheme: Amended BharatNet Programme (Cabinet approval 4 Aug 2023; about ₹1,39,000 crore) — the fibre backbone that rural 5G and broadband depend on [18][19]

13. Mains Relevance

• GS-III: Infrastructure (telecom); Science & Technology and indigenisation of technology; IT and Communications.
• GS-II: E-governance; government policies and interventions; important international institutions (ITU).
• Possible question stems: 1. "Mobile connectivity in India has moved from a market product to an instrument of governance." Discuss with reference to Digital India. (GS-II, 15 marks) 2. Assess India's 5G rollout since 2022. What do indigenous technology stacks contribute to strategic autonomy in telecom? (GS-III) 3. How does hosting global telecom forums (ITU-WTSA, GSMA) improve India's role in setting technology standards? (GS-II/III)

14. Related Topics to Study Next

• Telecommunications Act, 2023: the new legal framework for spectrum and licensing.
• Digital India programme: the umbrella vision the PM tied to mobile phones.
• C-DOT and the 4G/5G indigenous stack: the self-reliance angle in network equipment.
• ITU and its WTSA/WTDC structure: an international institutions question for Prelims.
• PLI scheme for telecom and mobile manufacturing: the domestic device manufacturing the PM cited.
• DIKSHA / PM e-VIDYA: digital education outcomes mentioned in the speech.
• BharatNet and the Digital Bharat Nidhi: last-mile rural connectivity.
• Spectrum auctions and satellite communications spectrum allocation: current policy debate.

15. NCERT Concepts to Revise

• Digital India (Polity): The PM tied mobile phones to Digital India, the programme behind the telecom push and last-mile service delivery.
• BharatNet (Geography): The rural fibre backbone 5G depends on; the note shows it running late and underused.
• Universal service obligation (Economy): Digital Bharat Nidhi replaced this rural-connectivity fund that pays for BharatNet's village fibre.
• Regulatory sandbox (Economy): DoT's Spectrum Regulatory Sandbox lets firms test wireless products under relaxed rules, as the note proposes for IMC use cases.
• Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Polity): TRAI's drive tests show the quality gap in remote areas that the note says 'every district' coverage hides.
• e-Governance (Polity): The PM called the mobile phone a tool of good governance, which is e-governance through service delivery.

16. Common Errors / Trap Areas

• Venue mix-up: 5G was launched at Pragati Maidan (2022). WTSA 2024 was at Bharat Mandapam. IMC 2025 and 2026 were at Yashobhoomi, Dwarka. [4][7][9][3]
• Organiser: IMC is a DoT + COAI event. It is not run by MeitY, and not by TRAI. [8]
• Edition count: 2022 = 6th, 2024 = 8th, 2025 = 9th, 2026 = 10th. [4][7][9][2]
• Theme swap: "Innovate to Transform" was 2025; "Scale without boundaries" is 2026. [8][2]
• "First" claim: WTSA 2024 was the first held in India and in Asia-Pacific. It was not the first ITU event in India. [7]