India Mobile Congress: PM Modi says India’s startup ecosystem among top 3, inaugurates 100 5G labs

Prime Minister Modi during the IMC 2023.


Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday opened the 7th India Mobile Congress (IMC), a three-day event being held at Bharat Mandapam convention centre in national capital Delhi’s Pragati Maidan. Speaking at event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India is not just expanding the 5G in the country but also moving in the direction of becoming leaders in the 6G technology.

“We are not only expanding 5G in the country but also moving in the direction of becoming leaders in the area of 6G technology…,” Modi said.

The prime minister also took potshots at the previous Congress-led UPA government over the alleged scam in allocation of 2G spectrum and said that there was no stain on his government when they expanded 4G in the country.

“Everyone knows what happened during the 2G (spectrum allocation during UPA govt). During our government, 4G was expanded but there was no stain on us. I am confident that India will lead the world in 6G technology,” he added.

During the IMC event, the Prime Minister also inaugurated 100 G5 labs in select institutions across the country.

“With changes in technology every day, we say the future is here and now,” the prime minister noted.

The PM also highlighted the recent announcement by the US tech giant Google to manufacture its flagship Pixel phones in India.

“Recently, Google has announced the manufacturing of its Pixel phone in India. Samsung’s Fold 5 mobile phone and Apple’s iPhone 15 are being manufactured in India. We are proud that the world is using Made in India mobile phones now,” he added.

Chairman of Bharti Enterprises and founder of Bharti Airtel, Sunil Bharati Mittal, while speaking at the event said that Centre’s Digital India and Make in India were the two important pillars of the India Mobile Congress 2023 and hailed PM Modi’s role in launching the schemes to promote India’s economy.

“Two pillars are very important for IMC 2023…First was Digital India…You raised the slogan of JAM Trinity which was based on Jan Dhan, Aadhar and Mobile is being discussed across the world…Whether it is the World Bank, UN, WTO, African Union, European Nation, G20, OECD Countries, or BRICS, there is only one slogan, the Digital Infrastructure that India has built can accelerate the world economy, especially in those countries which have a lack of infrastructure…The second most important one is Make in India,” Mittal said.