COAI DIALOGUES

Overview

Digital India is aimed towards strengthening connectivity, enhancing public service delivery and enabling sustainable economic development. This visionary initiative is fostering an inclusive business ecosystem, promoting collaboration, accelerating innovation and unlocking new opportunities across industries. More than a technological shift, Digital India is empowering communities, creating widespread livelihood opportunities, and positioning the nation as a globally competitive digital economy.

COAI DIALOGUES: Jointly organized by COAI and Voice&Data, is a full-day summit that will serve as a dynamic platform to address these key enablers of India’s digital future. The event will bring together industry leaders, policymakers and stakeholders to deliberate on critical areas such as regulatory reforms, spectrum availability and affordability, infrastructure sharing and investment opportunities.

Focus will be placed on the early monetization of next-generation technologies like 6G, and their transformative role in accelerating sustainable development, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and empowering underserved and regions across the country, while dealing with issues of immediate attention such as rise of spam/fraud communications via OTT Communication Apps and others.

Program

Time	Session
09:00 – 10:00 AM	Welcome & Registration
10:05 – 10:10 AM	Welcome Address by Lt. Gen. Dr. S.P. Kochhar Director General, COAI Watch on Demand
10:10 – 10:15 AM	Industry Address by Mr. Rahul Vatts Vice Chairperson, COAI and Chief Regulatory Officer, Bharti Airtel Watch on Demand
10:15 – 10:20 AM	Industry Address by Mr. Julian Gorman Head Asia Pacific, GSMA Watch on Demand
10:20 – 10:30 AM	Address by Chief Guest Shri Ritu Ranjan Mittar Member, TRAI Watch on Demand
10:50 – 10:55 AM	Vote of Thanks Mr. Pradeep Gupta Chairman, CyberMedia Group Watch on Demand
11:00 – 11:20 AM	Tea Break
11:20 – 11:30 AM	Keynote Address by Mr. Sandeep Saxena Head of Technology and Solutions in Mobile Networks, Nokia India Watch on Demand
Session 1: Policy and Regulatory Aspects
11:30 – 11:35 AM	Welcome
11:35 – 11:45 AM	Keynote Address Shri Ritu Ranjan Mittar Member, TRAI Watch on Demand
11:45 – 12:30 PM	Regulatory Framework for Advancing Digital Networks in Viksit Bharat and Combating Spam & Digital Frauds Through a Unified Ecosystem Approach ▼ Key Telco Initiatives (including TCCCPR) to curb Spam and Scam. Role of financial institutions, banks etc. to tackle financial frauds. Sharing the Cost of Security compliances for making the networks safe Clear regulatory frameworks for all online communication services platforms – same service same rules Driving collaborative efforts among stakeholders, including LTGs, to develop sustainable and scalable network solutions. Shri Sanjeev K. Sharma DDG (AI & DIU), DoT Mr. Rahul Vatts Chief Regulatory Officer, Bharti Airtel Dr. Ravi Gandhi President & Chief Regulatory Officer, Reliance Retail & Reliance Jio Ms. Ambika KhuranaChief Regulatory & Corporate Affairs Officer, Vodafone Idea Ms. Vibha Mehra VP, Government Relations, APAC, Nokia India Moderator Mr. Debashish Chakraborty Senior Director - Advocacy and Industry Engagement, GSMA Watch on Demand
Session 2: Technology Aspects
12:30 – 12:35 PM	Welcome
12:35 – 12:45 PM	Keynote Address Shri Niraj Verma, IAS Secretary, Department of Justice, Ministry of Law & Justice Government of India (Former Administrator – Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN), DoT) Watch on Demand
12:55 – 13:50 PM	Address by Experts Building the Future Network: Expanding Coverage, Powering Innovation,Bridging Earth and Sky ▼ Enhancing coverage for meaningful connectivity Innovative approaches for managing energy requirements in digital networks Integration of Terrestrial and Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) Extending coverage to underserved area in an affordable manner. Mr. Randeep Sekhon Chief Technology Officer, Bharti Airtel Spectrum Requirements: Availability, Planning and Coordination Amongst Stakeholders Mr. Jagbir Singh Chief Technology Officer, Vodafone Idea Intelligent, Sustainable, Scalable Networks: Powering India’s Digital Future Mr. Digvijay Sharma Senior Director Sales, Ciena Communications, India Moderator Mr. Rajiv Makhni Technology Journalist Watch on Demand
13:50 - 14:35 PM	Networking & Lunch
Session 3: Investment Landscape
14:35 – 14:40 PM	Welcome
14:40 – 14:50 PM	Keynote Address Shri Manish Sinha Member (Finance), DoT Watch on Demand
14:50 – 15:40 PM	Empowering the Digital Economy: Investments and Challenges in further enhancing the National digital Infrastructure ▼ Implementing innovative funding models to address CAPEX, OPEX, and low ROCE constraints. Unlocking the funds with Digital Bharat Nidhi for investment in scaling infrastructure? Leveraging global tariff shifts as a catalyst for boosting domestic telecom manufacturing. Global practices Shri D. Manoj Principal Advisor, TRAI Shri Anil Kumar Bhardwaj DDG (SE), DoT Mr. Rahul Vatts Chief Regulatory Officer, Bharti Airtel Dr. Ravi Gandhi President & Chief Regulatory Officer, Reliance Retail & Reliance Jio Mr. U. K. Srivastava President of Regulatory Policy,Reliance Jio Moderator Mr. Amitoj Arya Partner, Ernst & Young Watch on Demand
Session 4: Enhancing Digital Connectivity
15:40 – 15:45 PM	Welcome
15:45 – 16:35 PM	The Future of Inclusive Broadband Connectivity ▼ Increasing FTTH (Fiber to the Home)/FWA (Fixed Wireless Access) penetration in underserved areas. Driving broadband adoption to uplift education, healthcare, and employment outcomes. Making affordable devices. Key On-Ground Reforms to Address Challenges in RoW Implementation Shri Neeraj Kumar DDG, National Broadband Mission Mr. Dharmender Khajuria Head Network Partner, Bharti Airtel Mr. Akshat Mohindra Account Leader for the Government and PSU Business, Ciena India Mr. Dinesh Shiv Head of India Telecom Compliance & Regulatory, Zoom Communication Moderator Prof. Brejesh Lall Professor, IIT Delhi Watch on Demand
16:35 – 16:40	Vote of Thanks Mr. Vikram Tiwathia COAI Watch on Demand