The India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2019, which is to be held from October 14 to 16, is unlikely to see the top honchos from the industry including Mukesh Ambani (Reliance), Sunil Bharti Mittal (Airtel) and Kumar Mangalam Birla (Vodafone-Idea). Even next-gen entrepreneurs are also unlikely to attend the summit.

In a session named ‘Leaders for the Next Generation’, young Chief Executives  like Isha and Akash Ambani (Reliance), Kavin Mittal (Hike Messenger), Ananya Birla (singer, songwriter, entrepreneur) Rishad Premji (Wipro), Manu Kumar Jain (Xiaomi) and Vijay Shekhar Sharma (Paytm) were scheduled to take part in a brainstorming session. However, only a few including Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Rishad Premji and Manu Kumar Jain have confirmed to attendance as of Sunday evening.

Amit Shah to inaugurate

Home Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate the IMC 2019, and he will also speak for around 20 minutes. Some key announcements will be made during his presence, apart from demos of major 5G use cases.

The Home Minister is the head of various groups of Ministers (GoMs) that is looking into several issues with regards to the industry, including the revival of Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam (MTNL).

However, sources said that Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways, who was scheduled to speak at session on ‘Cars and Connected Platform’, has also not confirmed for his presence, as he is busy campaigning for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections.

Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways and Commerce and Industry, who was going to be the Chief Guest on the second day of the event, is also unlikely to attend. Sources from his office told  BusinessLine  that Goyal has an another event to attend at the same time, so he is "unlikely to come for the IMC".

Special announcement

Another interesting part of the event is that the latest ‘star’ and mission leader of Chandrayaan-2, K Sivan, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), will also be there at the inaugural session for a ‘special announcement’.

Apart from the key guests and various discussions on 5G,  and the technology will be demonstrated by telecom gear makers like Nokia, Samsung, Ericsson and Huawei.

From the operators side, all of them will be showcasing future technologies and what can they do in collaboration with partners like Ericsson, Huawei, Nokia and Samsung. For instance, Bharti Airtel will talk about its plans for data centres and Internet of Things (IoTs), and Vodafone-Idea along with Kia Motors will showcase UVO connected car system with the new Kia Seltos. The partnership between the companies will enable Kia Seltos to function with Advanced Connected Car Functionality.

comment COMMENT NOW