Overview

India’s digital transformation has entered a decisive phase. Telecom networks today underpin not only connectivity, but also economic growth, national competitiveness and societal inclusion. With large-scale 5G deployments underway, early global momentum around the next generation and the increasing convergence of telecom with artificial intelligence, quantum technologies and cloud platforms, India stands at a unique inflection point in its Techade.

The next phase of growth will depend on how effectively policy, technology and industry action converge — ensuring that digital expansion is innovative, inclusive, secure and trusted. In this context, a structured, policy-driven dialogue among key stakeholders is essential to shape India’s digital future.

The COAI DIGICOM SUMMIT 2026, serves as a high-level platform bringing together senior leadership from the Government, telecom service providers, technology companies, standards bodies, academia, start-ups and the broader digital ecosystem to delve on these issues and present workable solutions while keeping in pace with the rapidly evolving ecosystem.

Anchored in the theme “India’s Techade: Accelerating and Shaping the Digital Future”, the Summit is designed around four focused sessions, each addressing a critical pillar of India’s digital ambitions.

Building Intelligent, Resilient and Scalable Networks

This session will explore AI-driven telecom networks evolving into intelligent, software-led platforms enhancing automation, efficiency, and service delivery. It will focus on strengthening security, cyber resilience and trust expanding offerings through FWA and enabling differentiated connectivity models. As networks move beyond consumer-led growth, emphasis will be on enterprise use cases, industry applications and leveraging network intelligence for innovation, sustainability, improved threat detection and enhanced performance, reliability and resilience besides exploiting network insights to offer services such as positioning, authentication, etc.

Tackling Spam and digital frauds through shared Ecosystem policy and regulatory aspects

This session will examine the policy and regulatory frameworks required to sustain India’s digital momentum. Discussions will focus on enabling investment, fostering innovation, ensuring regulatory certainty and strengthening trust and consumer protection in an increasingly digital economy. The session will highlight the role of collaborative policymaking in supporting scalable, resilient and trusted digital networks.

Shaping the Next Generation of Connectivity

This session will focus on the evolving business to prepare for 6G, emphasising value creation, enterprise adoption and sustainable business models. It will examine 5G-Advanced as a bridge to high-performance, programmable and energy-efficient networks. Discussions will highlight India’s role in global standards, research and testbeds, alongside emerging technologies such as integrated sensing, AI-enabled devices and evolving spectrum strategies, while assessing ecosystem readiness for seamless next-generation connectivity.

Strengthening India's digital infrastructure value chain

This session will spotlight India’s efforts to strengthen indigenous telecom manufacturing and innovation capabilities. Discussions will cover ecosystem development, supply-chain resilience, investment enablers and the role of manufacturing in supporting both domestic deployment and global competitiveness. The session will also examine how manufacturing aligns with India’s broader digital and economic objectives.

Program

Time	Sessions
0845 - 0930 hrs	Welcome & Registration
0930 - 1115 hrs	Inaugural Session + Welcome Address Lt. Gen. Dr. S.P. Kochhar, Director General, COAI Chairperson Address Mr. Abhijit Kishore, Chief Executive Officer, Vodafone Idea and Chairperson, COAI Industry Address Mr. Ashwani Khillan, Chief Operating Officer, Altius Telecom Infrastructure Trust Industry Address Mr. Julian Gorman, Head of APAC, GSMA Industry Address Mr. Nitin Bansal, Managing Director, Ericsson India Industry Address Mr. Mahendra Nahata, Director, Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. Special Address Shri Anil Kumar Lahoti, Chairman, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Inaugural Address Dr. Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development, Government of India Vote of Thanks Mr. Rahul Vatts, Chief Regulatory Officer (India & South Asia), Bharti Airtel and Vice Chairperson, COAI
1115 - 1130 hrs	Tea
1130 - 1230 hrs	Session 1: Building Intelligent, Resilient and Scalable Networks + Keynote Address Shri N.K. Bhola, Wireless Advisor Keynote Address Mr. Sajan Paul, General Manager – HPE Networking, India Panel Discussion Mr. Randeep Sekhon, Chief Technology Officer, Bharti Airtel Dr. Ravi Gandhi, President & Chief Regulatory Officer, Reliance Retail & Reliance Jio Mr. Jagbir Singh, Chief Technology Officer, Vodafone Idea Ltd. Dr. Magnus Ewerbring, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Asia-Pacific, Ericsson Mr. Ashwani Khillan, Chief Operating Officer, Altius Telecom Infrastructure Trust Moderator Ms. Radhika Gupta, Senior Director and Head - Data Acquisition, GSMA
1230 - 1330 hrs	Session 2: Tackling Spam and Digital Frauds through Shared Ecosystem Policy and Regulatory Aspects + Keynote Address Shri Manish Sinha, Member (Finance), Department of Telecommunications Panel Discussion Shri Pushpendra Kumar Singh, Principal Advisor, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Shri Sanjeev Sharma, DDG - Artificial Intelligence & Digital Intelligence Unit, Department of Telecommunications Mr. Rahul Vatts, Chief Regulatory Officer (India & South Asia), Bharti Airtel and Vice Chairperson, COAI Mr. U.K. Srivastava, President – Regulatory Policy, Reliance Jio Ms. Ambika Khurana, Chief Regulatory & Corporate Affairs Officer, Vodafone Idea Mr. Jez Stanley, First Secretary, British High Commission Moderator Mr. Rahul Hakeem, Partner, KPMG
1330 - 1430 hrs	Lunch
1430 - 1530 hrs	Session 3: Shaping the Next Generation of Connectivity + Keynote Address Dr. Punit Rathod, Sr. Lead - Technical Standards, Qualcomm Panel Discussion Shri S.T. Abbas, Sr. DDG, Telecom Engineering Centre and Chairman and Managing Director, Telecommunications Consultants India Limited Shri Anil Kr. Bhardwaj, DDG, Stakeholder Engagement, Department of Telecommunications Mr. Julian Gorman, Head of APAC, GSMA Dr. Magnus Ewerbring, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Asia-Pacific, Ericsson Dr. Kiran Kumar Kuchi, Professor, Electrical Engineering, IIT – Hyderabad Mr. Vinay Shrivastava, Chair - Technology & Standards WG, 5GIF Moderator Ms. Jeanette Whyte, Head of Public Policy APAC, GSMA
1530 - 1630 hrs	Session 4: Strengthening India's Digital Infrastructure Value Chain + Keynote Address Shri Deb Kumar Chakrabarti, Member (Services), Department of Telecommunications Keynote Address Dr. Devesh Tyagi, Chief Executive Officer, NIXI Panel Discussion Dr. R.K. Upadhyay, Chief Executive Officer, C-DOT Shri D. Manoj, Principal Advisor (F&EA), Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Mr. Sunil Gupta, Co-founder, Managing Director and CEO, Yotta Data Services Private Limited Mr. Sandeep Sharma, Head of Emerging Technologies - Network Services, Tech Mahindra Mr. Dinesh Shiv, Head of India Telecom Compliance & Regulatory, Zoom Communication Moderator Mr. Anuj Sidharth, Director - Marketing and Communication, India and SEA Region, MediaTek
1630 - 1700 hrs	Tea