BARCELONA – India has announced that the 10th edition of the India Mobile Congress 2026 will be held from October 7 to 10 in New Delhi, as the country looks to further position itself at the centre of global telecom and digital innovation.
The dates were unveiled at MWC Barcelona 2026 by Communications and Development of North East Region Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, who described the forum as a reflection of India’s decade-long digital transformation.
Organised by the Department of Telecommunications and the Cellular Operators Association of India, IMC 2026 is expected to attract more than 150,000 participants, over 300 exhibitors and partners, and showcase upwards of 1,500 technology use cases.
In a significant development, IMC signed a memorandum of understanding with the GSMA aimed at strengthening strategic cooperation and expanding the event’s global footprint. The GSMA Board will also participate in the New Delhi gathering, signalling closer alignment between Indian and international telecom stakeholders.
The partnership is expected to facilitate board-level participation, cross-border knowledge exchange and coordinated dialogue on emerging telecom priorities, including next-generation networks and digital infrastructure frameworks.
Addressing the gathering, Mr Scindia said India is now the world’s second-largest telecom market, with more than 1.2 billion connected citizens and one of the fastest 5G rollouts globally. He noted that mobile data consumption in the country has increased nearly 400 times over the past decade and highlighted the development of an indigenous, cloud-native 4G stack that can be upgraded to 5G.
“This edition will showcase AI-native networks, smart industries, sovereign platforms, startup innovation and global partnerships,” he said, linking the growth of IMC to India’s broader digital ambitions.
Head of Asia Pacific at GSMA, Julian Gorman, said India had emerged as a global telecom leader not only because of the scale of its 5G deployment but also its ambitions in 6G and artificial intelligence.
“Through our enhanced role at IMC 2026, the GSMA is bringing its global network of operators and industry leaders together to deepen collaboration and reinforce India’s position at the centre of the global digital ecosystem,” he said.
Chairman of COAI, Abhijit Kishore, said the forum had evolved since its launch in 2017 into a major platform for dialogue, collaboration and knowledge sharing, and described the GSMA partnership as a significant step forward.
The 2026 edition will focus on connectivity technologies including 5G and 6G, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, electronics manufacturing, quantum computing, cybersecurity, satellite communications and enterprise transformation.
The event’s startup programme, ASPIRE, is expected to host more than 400 startups and over 300 investors, incubators and venture capital firms, alongside hundreds of curated investor meetings.
The previous edition of the India Mobile Congress, held in October 2025, drew more than 150,000 attendees from over 100 countries and featured more than 1,600 technology use cases and over 800 speakers.
