New Delhi, August 01, 2020.

Commemorating the 25^th anniversary of the first mobile call made in India, Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and COAI, through IMC Studio, organized a special online event “Desh Ki Digital Udaan” today. On the occasion, Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, congratulated and appreciated the contribution by Department of Telecommunications, telecom companies and COAI in the telecom sector via a written letter. The letter mentions, Digital Mobility as an enabler of multiple other kinds of mobility – social, economic and informational. The companies active in the ecosystem of digital connectivity have done yeoman service to the poor and underprivileged by ensuring connectivity reaches them.

The online event witnessed the key messages from Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Hon’ble Minister for Communications, Electronics & Information Technology and Law & Justice; Dr. RS Sharma, IAS, Chairman, TRAI; Shri Anshu Prakash, Secretary (T) & Chairman, DCC; Mr. Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman, Bharti Airtel; Mr. Mukesh Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Industries Ltd; Mr. BK Modi, Chairman, Spice Group and Lt Gen Dr. SP Kochhar, Director General, COAI.

Indian Mobile telephony is 25 years young and is raring to provide users, the latest technology, that will not only revolutionize the way people communicate, but also contribute to the economic growth and development of the nation. On July 31, 1995, the first mobile call was made between Writer’s Building in Kolkata and Sanchar Bhavan in Delhi, at the one end was the Chief Minister of West Bengal and on the other side was Communications Minister in Delhi. Today, with approx. 958 million active wireless subscribers, India is the world’s second-largest telecom market, contributing immensely to the country’s socio-economic development and playing a critical role in running the economy digitally during the pandemic.

While delivering the opening remarks at the event, Lt Gen Dr. SP Kochhar, Director General, COAI, said, “During the last 25 years, technological progress, innovation and market dynamics have had a profound impact on the industry and contributed to the accelerated liberalization of the sector. There are many sectors doing good work in their fields but without telecom linkages they would be isolated specks. Telecom interconnects and helps societies to be connected. It is like the nervous system of the human body. Taking an inspiration from this memorable journey, the industry is committed to working towards creating a truly world-class digital ecosystem of the future with the help of our all stakeholders, especially the government.”

The event witnessed a special program with India’s top telecom leaders Mr. Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman, Bharti Enterprises, Mr. Mukesh Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Industries Ltd. In a panel discussion titled “Connectivity Beyond telecom” during the online event Industry leaders like Dr. Anand Agarwal, Group CEO, STL; Mr. Sanjay Malik, Senior Vice President and Head of India Market, Nokia, Mr. Anku Jain, MD, MediaTek India, Mr. Rajesh Nambiar, Chairman & President, Ciena India, presented their views during the session.