Scindia, Ambani, Mittal Unite for Actionable Plan to Make India a Telecom Superpower

Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia met with key telecom industry leaders on Tuesday, including Reliance Jio Chairman Akash Ambani, Bharti Airtel founder and Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal, and Vodafone Idea MD and CEO Akshaya Moondra. This meeting aimed to plan the future growth of the telecom sector and was the first under the third term of the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Response to Recent Tariff Increase

It was also the first meeting with telecom chiefs after a recent mobile tariff increase of 10-27%.

Collaborative Growth and Consumer Interest

Scindia discussed fostering growth in the telecom sector collaboratively while protecting consumer and national interests. “We have identified a deep agenda for these committees. The members and we will be working together,” Scindia told reporters after the meeting.

Vodafone Idea CEO Akshaya Moondra and Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) Director General S P Kochhar were also present at the advisory committee meeting for telecom service providers.

Committee Plans and Objectives

Scindia mentioned that the committees have varied schedules for their first presentations over the next few weeks. “Then we will tackle each issue, delve into the details, and create an action plan with timelines and actionable items to move our sector forward,” Scindia said. He emphasized that the six committees are crucial for the Indian communication sector. “By forming these committees, we hope to advance the sector, realizing the Prime Minister’s goal of creating a self-reliant India and a telecom superpower within India that will hopefully transcend our boundaries in the future,” Scindia added.

Focus on Customer Interests

According to sources, the discussions lasted about half an hour, with the minister emphasizing that customers’ interests should be central to the telecom sector’s growth. “All three private players supported the minister’s vision. Sunil Bharti Mittal praised the minister’s initiative to engage with the industry and the idea of a committee to address each segment’s issues,” a source said.

Engagement with Internet Service Providers and Academia

The minister also met with representatives from internet service providers, the infrastructure committee, academia, and the R&D committee. Bharti Airtel MD Gopal Vittal joined the meeting with the academia and R&D committee.

Roadmap for Self-Reliance and Global Leadership

On Monday, Scindia held meetings with three advisory groups on satellite, communications, and the electronics ecosystem, along with original equipment manufacturers, to prepare a roadmap for achieving self-reliance and global leadership in the sector.

Industry Leader Participation

The meetings included Nokia India Country Head Tarun Chhabra, Samsung President and CEO Southwest Asia J B Park, Cisco System India Managing Director Harish Krishnan, STL Managing Director and CEO Ankit Agarwal, Tejas Non-Executive Chairman N G Subramanium, Viasat India Managing Director Gautam Sharma, and Hughes Communications India CEO, President, and Managing Director Shivaji Chatterjee.