• Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently virtually inaugurated the 7th Edition of the India Mobile Congress 2023 (IMC) at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
• IMC is the largest telecom, media, and technology forum in Asia, being held till October 29 with the theme ‘Global Digital Innovation’.

• The IMC 2023 aims to strengthen India’s position as a developer, manufacturer, and exporter of key cutting-edge technologies.
• During the program, the Prime Minister awarded 100 ‘5G Use Case Labs’ to educational institutions across the country.
• Jio has installed over 10 lakh 5G cells across all 22 circuits of India, making an 85 percent contribution to the overall 5G distribution where the rollout of the 5G stack is designed, developed and manufactured by Indian talent. “India ranks among the top 3 5 G-enabled nations with a user base of 125 million.
• The event will act as a platform to highlight India's incredible advancements in telecommunications and technology, bring forth significant announcements and provide an opportunity for start-ups to display their innovative products and solutions.
• With the theme 'Global Digital Innovation,' the IMC 2023 aims to strengthen India’s position as a developer, manufacturer, and exporter of key cutting-edge technologies.
• The three-day congress will highlight technologies such as 5G, 6G, and Artificial intelligence (AI) and discuss issues pertaining to the semiconductor industry, green technology, cybersecurity etc.
• This year, IMC is introducing a startup program - ‘Aspire’.
• It will foster connections between startups, investors, and established businesses with an aim to catalyze fresh entrepreneurial initiatives and collaborations.
• IMC 2023 will be attended by over one lakh participants from about 22 countries including about 5000 CEO level delegates, 230 exhibitors, 400 startups, and other stakeholders.

‘100 5G labs initiative’

• The ‘100 5G labs initiative’, is an endeavor to realize the opportunities associated with 5G technology by encouraging the development of 5G applications which cater, both to India’s unique needs as well as the global demands.
• The unique initiative will foster innovation across various socioeconomic sectors like education, agriculture, health, power, transportation etc, and propel the country into the forefront of usage of 5G technology.
• The initiative is also a pivotal step for building a 6G-ready academic and start-up ecosystem in the country. More importantly, the initiative is a step towards the development of indigenous telecom technology which is critical for national security.

Source- The Hindu