News Broadcasting
“Communications Convergence” conference on 13-14 Dec
MUMBAI: The first international conference on Communications Convergence : The Multi-Billion Indian Opportunity takes place on 13-14 December at The Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai. Hinduja TMT will be main sponsor at this event organised by The Indian Merchants’ Chamber.
The two-day conference will bring together top authorities in each field of Voice, Internet, Convergence and Data Services and engage the luminaries from the industries, the investors and the government.
At the legislative level, the convergence bill looks to be in limbo but there is a huge amount happening in the IT and telecom space, especially as regards the IT-enabled services business. The conference will provide a forum where the relevant issues will be addressed.
According to the IMC, Union minister for parliamentary affairs, communication and IT Pramod Mahajan will address the valedictory session of the two-day conference on 14 December. Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and minister for finance & planning Jayantrao Patil will be the chief guest and guest of honour respectively, for the luncheon session on 14 December.
The sessions run from 9:30 am to 6 pm on a daily basis. While the developed world has been seeing slower growth and problems in the telecom industry, Asia (particularly China and India) has seen scorching growth in the last decade. This growth is expected to continue in India, with the accelerated demand for telecom and converged services.
The Indian telecommunications industry has seen a revolution in recent times with deregulation, convergence, new spectrum allocation, new technologies, mergers and acquisitions, and new market entrants altering the wire-line, wireless, cable, satellite and ISPs landscape.
The changes have been driven by large investments, both by Indian companies and overseas telecom companies and institutional investors, spurred by the investor-friendly environment provided by the Government.
It is estimated by the IMC that India will need a huge investment of US $60 billion by 2005 in the telecom sector to keep up with the planned increase in teledensity. The reasoning is that the business opportunity offered by this new wave in India has tremendous potential and needs to be explored and tapped by investments, both Indian and foreign. In spite of all this, there has been very little information available on the specifics of this investment opportunity. The conference organised by IMC aims to identify and focus on the following:
– Business segments as defined by the regulatory framework & their prospects
– Legal and financial framework for investments
– Current competitive scene and investment climate.
Also on the table, is a series of tutorials on relevant topics of Convergence, which could provide the requisite background information to interested businessmen and enable them to take make further progress in the field.
According to the IMC, the speaker lineup at the Conference includes :
CEO Hinduja TMT – R. Mohan
Co-Chairman Hinduja TMT India – Ramkrishan P. Hinduja
Chairman, TRAI – M S Verma
Chairman, World Tel, UK (Video Conferencing) – Sam Pitroda
MD, net2phone Western Europe – Bryan Rowe
Regional Director-Asia of Aon (UK), an associate of Global Insurance Services (Mumbai) – David Hill
MD, NEC Singapore – Noel Hon Chia Chun
VP- Asia Pacific, Polycom (USA) – Leo M Cortjens
Chairman, Dishnet DSL Ltd. – Dr. Vijay Bhatkar.
In addition like any other International Conference there will be four tutorial sessions, to be conducted by experts in their own right on 12 December. These sessions will focus on several business and technical aspects.
The sponsors for the event include Hutchison Max Telecom, Hinduja Group India,, Bharti Enterprises, IDFC, Global Insurance Services, Aon (UK), Global Tele and Tellabs India.
News Broadcasting
Rising Bharat Summit 2026 spotlights India’s global ascent
PM Modi keynotes two-day event with ministers, diplomats and icons in New Delhi.
MUMBAI: India didn’t just host a summit, it threw a coming-out party for a nation ready to own the global stage. The News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2026, held on 27–28 February in New Delhi, emerged as a high-octane platform for ideas, vision and strategic dialogue, uniting national leadership, global policymakers, industry titans, defence strategists and cultural icons under the theme “Strength Within”.
Prime minister Narendra Modi set the tone with a keynote that framed India’s resurgence as a reclaiming of lost potential built over generations. “In previous industrial revolutions, India and the Global South were merely followers,” he said. “But in the era of Artificial Intelligence, India is a partner in decisions and shaping them.” He highlighted the country’s thriving AI startup ecosystem and the recent AI Impact Summit attended by over 100 nations.
Union minister Piyush Goyal (Commerce & Industry) stressed India’s readiness to scale exports and deepen manufacturing, while Ashwini Vaishnaw (Railways, I&B, Electronics & IT) positioned technology and infrastructure as twin engines of growth, especially in AI and digital trust. Jyotiraditya Scindia (Communications & North East Development) revealed India’s ambition to lead in 6G through the Bharat 6G Alliance and partnerships with over 30 countries.
Global voices added depth: former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo called India’s development “self-sustaining” and strategically vital; ex-UK Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter asserted India deserves a seat at the great powers’ table; and former US Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez joined ambassadors from Norway, Germany and Sweden in discussions on geopolitical realignment, sustainability and defence preparedness.
Other speakers included veteran investor Ramesh Damani, World Gold Council CEO David Tait, Vianai Systems founder Dr Vishal Sikka, DeepTech Bharat Foundation co-founder Shashi Shekhar Vempati, defence experts Rajesh Kumar Singh, Sunil Ambekar, Patrick McGee, Tom Cooper and Adrian Fontanellaz, plus cultural and sporting icons Kangana Ranaut, Saina Nehwal, PR Sreejesh, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mithali Raj, Anil Kapoor and Yami Gautam.
The summit was supported by Jio Financial Services (Presenting Partner), Phonepe and DS Group (Co-Presenting Partners), Pernod Ricard India and Kia Seltos (Powered By & Driven By), state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand (State Partners), and associate partners including NSE, M3M Foundation and Reliance Industries.
Broadcast live across News18 Network, CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz, the event reinforced India’s image as a confident democracy and emerging global power proving that when strength comes from within, the world can’t help but watch.
