Convergence India 2017: Making India’s Digital Dream a Reality

The Convergence India 2017 expo and Internet of Things India 2017 expo (IoT India 2017) opened its doors, celebrating the 25th anniversary of South Asia's most influential and relevant trade event for the ICT, broadcast and digital media industries.

The expo runs through Friday, February 10, in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, where 635 companies are showcasing ground-breaking technologies and services with new product launches. Organised by the Exhibitions India Group, the event is supported by the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and the Digital India campaign.

Inaugurating the event, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology and Law & Justice PP Chaudhary said, “The Government is making concentrated efforts to ensure the last mile connectivity of broadband services across the country to make Internet available to all. Digital India will ensure that government services are available to Indian citizens at all times. Aadhar has given digital identity to 1.11 billion citizens, making it a unique project in the world. Under the Jan Dhan Yojana Scheme, 260 million bank accounts have been opened.”

Speaking about demonetisation, he said, “Demonetisation has led to exponential growth in digital apps such as BHIM, RuPay, etc. A website (cashlessindia.in) has also been launched by the Ministry to make people aware about digital modes of payment.”

While calling for private sector support, the Minister said, “Private sector support will uplift the Digital India initiative and help reach the bottom of the pyramid. Convergence India 2017 gives us the platform to showcase the initiative under this umbrella and provide opportunities for future collaboration. We welcome all your suggestions and recommendations.”

Guest of Honour at the event, Prof. Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, said, “For the first time in the history of humanity, it is being demonstrated that we all are very strongly connected. Machines and technology enable this connection and empower human beings in all spheres of life. We are moving into an era of autonomous digital from passive digital, which was started in the 70s. But the most important factor is that in the midst of the technology evolution, people should be at the centre. ”

To nurture ideas and innovations (knowledge-based and technology-driven) into successful startups, Prof. Sharma said, “The Department of Science and Technology is bullish on innovations. DST runs 100 incubator programmes across the country, incubating 2000 start-ups and we plan to increase that to 5000 in the next three years. A new programme NIDHI ((National Initiative for Development and Harnessing Innovations), has been launched which offers seed funding of Rs. 1 crore. The Atal Innovation Mission has also been launched for the welfare of citizens.”

Under the theme of Digital India, the event gathers an influential audience, including governments, key ICT industry players, international organisations, pioneering thinkers, consultants, academia, media and emergent players.

The key players are responsible for enabling digital transformation and bringing to life smart technologies, products, services and the latest IoT innovations.

In consonance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a Digital India, along with new policies and regulations to accelerate the adoption of ICT in key economic and strategic sectors, there have been significant changes in the way we work and communicate. The digital economy is entering a new age in India with digital transformation giving rise to new and smart technologies. The Convergence India series of expos further stimulate this growth and accelerate the innovation in the Indian ICT industry.

“As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Convergence India expo, technology continues to move at a rapid pace and collaboration is often the best way for companies and governments to achieve long-term success. This year’s event not only provides the right platform for this exchange, but also showcases the next generation of innovations that will shape our future. And what an incredible way to celebrate 25 years of Convergence India with the launch of the Internet of Things India 2017 expo,” said Prem Behl, Chairman, Exhibitions India Pvt. Ltd.

From the latest in wearables, video analytics, telecommunications, security, systems integration, M2M solutions, data science, cloud services and applications development, Convergence India 2017 and Internet of Things India 2017 expo are unveiling the future of being connected.

While addressing the delegates during the launch of Frost & Sullivan’s exclusive Whitepaper on ‘Industry Outlook for the Indian Telecom and Broadcast Industry’, Vidya S Nath, Research Director, Digital Media Practice, Frost & Sullivan, said, “India is poised to be among the top five economies in the world by 2020. Home to over a billion mobile subscribers and the second largest Internet user base in the world, India will become a force of reckoning for global businesses, policy, and technology advancement.

Deploying country-wide fibre network and providing public Wi-Fi connectivity are crucial mandates for driving the Digital India and Make in India initiatives. Rural Internet users will grow 40% annually for the next three years, and video consumption on the Internet will grow five-fold by 2020.

This will alter the course of the telecom and broadcast industries. SMAC along with cyber security and IoT will be the essential elements for an organization in India to drive its digital transformation strategy.” Frost & Sullivan is the exclusive Knowledge Partner for Convergence India 2017 and Internet of Things India Expo 2017.

At the inaugural conference session, discussions focused on the Digital India 2020 priorities and building a successful digital service ecosystem.

Convergence India expo, and the co-located IoT India expo, are spread over 18,000sqm of area, bringing together the IoT ecosystem including hardware, services, software and governing bodies, covering development areas and the future of IoT in India including smart cities, wearable technologies, design applications, enablers, industrial IoT and data analytics.

Further add-ons at the expo are the Start-up planet, the Techknow conference and the Mobile Devices & Accessories Zone, providing budding entrepreneurs a platform to present innovative ideas, exchange information, and network with industry, government and other stakeholders.

With the unique combination of knowledge sharing conference sessions, workshops and technology display, the event provides an opportunity to experience, understand and address various issues of the ICT sector. The event will create a host of networking opportunities, connecting exhibitors, delegates, countries, organisations and individuals to explore new business opportunities.

The inaugural event was attended by key government officials, telecom players, MSO’s, cable TV professionals, system integrators, broadcasters, telecom and satellite operators, distributors, information technology & network security experts, among others.

Show Highlights:

· 635 international and domestic exhibitors

· 3 concurrent conference tracks

· 27 conference sessions with over 150 speakers

· 20,000 trade visitors expected

· 45% bigger, better and smarter than previous year