Big tech events often dazzle with grand unveilings of flashy devices or futuristic visions of connectivity. Yet, the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2025 took a markedly different approach, prioritising the foundational plumbing of digital transformation over spectacle. The communications minister’s unveiling of an AI-powered IMC app under the banner “Innovate to Transform” encapsulates this shift. Rather than merely offering another event-focused utility, the app signals a broader evolution in how India designs and deploys its digital public infrastructure modular, interoperable, and meticulously optimised for throughput and latency. The design philosophy behind the app enabling smarter discovery of sessions, seamless scheduling, and dynamic networking reflects a deeper national strategy. It mirrors India’s approach to digital public goods such as payments (UPI), identity (Aadhaar), and consent frameworks: prioritising the construction of robust, scalable rails before layering on consumer-facing features. As the India Brand Equity Foundation notes, this “build the rails first, features later” ethos is reshaping the country’s digital architecture.
What distinguishes this operational shift is the swift and vibrant ecosystem response. Within days of the app’s launch, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and technology vendors were showcasing end-to-end AI experiences aligned with the IMC’s “Innovate to Transform” theme. These demonstrations ranged from device onboard models enabling local AI inference to network-side analytics that preserve user privacy while enhancing service quality. This confluence of AI and connectivity is not merely experimental; it is becoming embedded in real-world applications. For consumers, the benefits are tangible: streamlined onboarding processes, AI-powered assistants that facilitate event navigation, and enhanced security protocols ensuring safer connectivity. For enterprises, the implications are profound. Network slices and compute resources can now be dynamically allocated to suit specific needs—from boosting retail footfall through targeted digital engagement to optimising factory floor vision systems or enhancing field service responsiveness. The IMC app itself is thus less an endpoint than a symbol of a critical inflection point: India’s telecommunications sector, traditionally policy-heavy and often slow-moving, is embracing agile development cycles characterised by rapid prototyping, testing, and iteration. The Times of India aptly captures this transformation, noting that the sector is “testing, learning and shipping in shorter loops.”
This evolution is part of a longer trajectory towards sovereign technological capability layered with openness and interoperability. India’s domestic 4G and 5G technology stacks are steadily being productised, with heightened emphasis on security and quality assurance. This indigenous progression is critical not only for national technological sovereignty but also for ensuring that the digital infrastructure can meet the demands of a market that is among the world’s largest and most diverse. The country’s next frontier lies in edge computing silicon and power electronics—domains where the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) can exert significant influence. Innovations here will translate into concrete user experience improvements: modems with lower power consumption, electric vehicles with faster charging capabilities, and industrial IoT devices that are more reliable and efficient. Such advances will underpin India’s ambitions to become a global hub for semiconductor design and manufacturing, as well as enhance the performance and sustainability of its connectivity ecosystem.
However, this ambitious vision is not without challenges. Persistent issues such as spectrum pricing, rights of way (RoW) bottlenecks, and urban infrastructure constraints continue to threaten the pace of network rollout and expansion. Spectrum allocation remains a delicate balancing act between government revenue generation and industry affordability, while RoW complexities—entwined with municipal regulations and diverse stakeholder interests—can delay the physical deployment of essential infrastructure. Urban densification further complicates the installation of small cells and other 5G-related hardware. Yet, against this backdrop, the entrenched new habit of rapid iteration—prototype, pilot, scale—offers a compelling counterbalance. When policymakers engage in discussions about “pipes” and developers speak fluently about “APIs,” the rhetoric of digital transformation transcends slogans and begins to embed itself as operational muscle memory within India’s telecommunications ecosystem.
The IMC app and its underlying philosophy exemplify a broader tectonic shift in the global telecom sector, where the emphasis is moving from headline-grabbing consumer gadgets to the often-overlooked connective tissue that enables them. This “boring revolution” in connectivity plumbing is crucial for unlocking the full potential of emerging technologies such as AI, augmented reality, and the Internet of Things (IoT). It is in these foundational layers—network architecture, edge computing, data privacy frameworks—that the future of digital innovation is being forged. India’s approach, characterised by modularity, interoperability, and rapid ecosystem responsiveness, offers an instructive model for other emerging markets grappling with similar challenges.
Moreover, the IMC’s AI-powered app launch dovetails with a global trend of embedding artificial intelligence deeper into telecom infrastructure. According to a recent report by the GSMA, AI-driven network management and automation are poised to become critical enablers of next-generation connectivity, allowing operators to optimise resources, predict faults, and enhance user experiences in real time. India’s early adoption and integration of AI within its digital public goods ecosystem thus positions it well to reap these benefits. This is particularly salient given the country’s massive and heterogeneous user base, which demands solutions that are both scalable and sensitive to local contexts.
On the semiconductor front, the India Semiconductor Mission’s focus on communications and power electronics is set to catalyse a new wave of innovation. By nurturing indigenous design capabilities and incentivising local manufacturing, the ISM aims to reduce dependency on foreign supply chains and foster homegrown technological leadership. As articulated by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, this initiative aligns with India’s broader Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) vision, seeking to transform the country into a global innovation hub. The anticipated outcome is not merely cooler phones or faster EV chargers but a more resilient and sovereign technological base that can support India’s digital aspirations for decades to come.
AI-powered IMC app: Built for discovery, sessions, networking—rails over razzle.
Ecosystem snap-in: OEMs showcased aligned AI experiences at IMC.
Edge matters: ISM focus on comms/power silicon will show up as cooler phones, faster charge, sturdier IoT.
In sum, the India Mobile Congress 2025’s spotlight on its AI-powered app and the underlying digital rails marks a significant moment in India’s telecommunications narrative. It underscores a maturing ecosystem that values foundational infrastructure as much as end-user features, embraces AI and edge computing as integral to connectivity, and navigates policy and logistical challenges with newfound agility. As India continues to prototype, pilot, and scale these innovations, it is shaping a digital infrastructure that is not only robust and secure but also flexible enough to accommodate the next wave of technological disruption. When ministers discuss “pipes” and developers detail “APIs,” it signals a transformation that is no longer aspirational but operational a quiet revolution in connectivity that promises to redefine India’s digital future.