Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Minister for Communications and Development in North East Region, Government of India, has announced that India Mobile Congress IMC 2026 will be held from October 7 to 10, 2026, in New Delhi. IMC 2026 marks the 10th edition of the flagship telecom and technology event.
Organised by the Department of Telecommunications under the Ministry of Communications, Government of India, along with the Cellular Operators Association of India, the event will convene policymakers, global enterprises, telecom operators, startups, investors and technology leaders from more than 100 countries.
GSMA Board to Participate, MoU Signed for Strategic Collaboration
In a significant move to enhance IMC’s global positioning, the GSMA Board will participate in IMC 2026. IMC and GSMA have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding to deepen strategic collaboration, expand international industry participation and align policy and technology dialogues with emerging global telecom priorities.
The partnership will focus on high-level leadership engagements, CEO and board-level participation, cross-border knowledge exchange and strengthening India’s role in shaping next-generation telecom networks, digital infrastructure and global connectivity frameworks.
Julian Gorman, Head of Asia Pacific, GSMA, said India has established itself as a global telecom leader through the scale and speed of its 5G rollout, along with its ambitions in 6G, AI and digital innovation. He added that GSMA’s enhanced role at IMC 2026 will bring together its global network of operators and industry leaders to deepen collaboration and reinforce India’s position at the centre of the global digital ecosystem.
India’s Telecom Transformation and IMC’s 10th Edition
Scindia highlighted that India is the world’s second-largest telecom market, connecting over 1.2 billion citizens. The country has achieved the fastest 5G rollout globally, with average mobile data consumption increasing nearly 400 times over the past decade.
He noted that India is among a select group of nations to develop its own indigenous, cloud-native 4G stack, upgradeable to 5G. This positions India not only as a user of advanced telecom networks but also as a builder of next-generation digital infrastructure. India is also emerging as a trusted global source for telecom products, platforms and solutions, as well as a global AI and deep-tech destination.
As India completes a decade of telecom transformation, IMC 2026 will reflect this journey from connectivity to intelligence and from access to impact. The event will showcase AI-native networks, smart industries, sovereign platforms, startup innovation and global partnerships.
IMC 2026 Expected to Attract 150,000 Attendees
IMC 2026 is expected to draw more than 150,000 attendees, with participation from over 300 exhibitors and partners. The event will feature more than 1500 technology use cases across key domains such as:
5G and 6G connectivity
Artificial Intelligence
Semiconductors and electronics manufacturing
Quantum computing
Cybersecurity
Satellite communications
Deep-tech and clean-tech
Smart mobility
Industry 4.0
Enterprise digital transformation
Abhijit Kishore, Chairman of the Cellular Operators Association of India, said that since its inception in 2017, IMC has evolved into Asia’s largest digital technology forum, serving as a vital platform for dialogue, collaboration and action. He described the strategic partnership with GSMA as a quantum leap for this year’s edition.
ASPIRE Startup Program to Host 400+ Startups
IMC’s flagship startup initiative, ASPIRE, is expected to see participation from more than 400 startups and over 300 investors, incubators, accelerators and venture capital firms. The program will host more than 700 one-on-one investor meetings, along with mentorship workshops, live pitches, networking sessions and partnership opportunities.
The 10th edition of IMC will place greater emphasis on deployment-ready technologies that are closer to commercial adoption and scale. It will also focus on outcome-driven enterprise and operator engagement, stronger buyer-seller interactions and sharper startup-to-market linkages. Global participation is expected to evolve towards structured collaboration and long-term partnerships.
IMC 2025 Set the Stage
The previous edition of India Mobile Congress, held in October 2025, attracted more than 150,000 attendees over four days, with participation from over 400 partners and exhibitors representing more than 100 countries. The event showcased over 1600 technology use case scenarios and featured more than 100 sessions with participation from over 800 distinguished global and Indian speakers.
SHAFANA FAZAL
