India Mobile Congress 2023 Highlights: From JioSpaceFiber, 6G, 5G Redcap Device Demo and More

The seventh edition of the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2023 kicked off on Friday with the inauguration by Prime Minister Modi at Bharat Mandapam. This year's event is centred around the theme of Global Digital Innovation, with exhibitors showcasing cutting-edge technologies such as satellite communication, 6G demo, and other use cases.

The first day of the event saw dignitaries like Akash Ambani, Chairman - of Reliance Jio, Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, and Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman of Aditya Birla Group, attending the inaugural session of IMC 2023. Unlike last year, where the 5G rollout announcement was a big draw for the event, this year, we saw multiple demo sessions and other key announcements, which we will cover in this article, making the main headlines. 

100 5G Labs

The first big announcement was about establishing 100 5G labs across India to promote students, professors, startups, and MSMEs to work on 5G technology in various fields like health, agriculture, manufacturing and more. These labs will be set up in academic institutions in multiple states, including Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Telangana, Karnataka and more. The names of institutions have been announced, and they include IIT Guwahati, IIT Silchar, Delhi Technological University, Jamia Hamdard University, Birla Institute of Technology Mesra, and more.

JioSpaceFiber

At the IMC 2023 event, Reliance Jio demonstrated the country's first satellite-based Gigabit broadband service to provide high-speed internet in previously inaccessible geographies. At the event, Jio demoed how they are offering internet to four locations, which are remote in location, including Gir Gujarat, Korba Chattisgarh, Nabrangpur Odissa, and Jorhat Assam. At the moment, there's no word when the service will be widely available to users. 

Reliance Jio also showcased the Jio Glass, a mixed-reality handset, at IMC 2023. Announced at the company's 43rd annual general meeting, Jio Glass was available for demo paired to a OnePlus Nord smartphone. We tried it briefly for a few minutes, and it seemed decent. 

6G Sensing Demo

Nokia presented a demo of its 6G network, which can act as a radar and sense objects, people, and movements without compromising privacy. This situational awareness will give individuals a digital 6th sense, enabling them to gather information about their surroundings, see around corners, and even interact with objects from a distance. Nokia showcased a live demonstration of this 6G sensing capability using prototype radio equipment. The company also highlighted its smart and safe railway networks (NCRTC) and its collaboration with Alstom to deliver a private wireless network for (NCRTC) Delhi to Meerut RRTS. It is claimed to be the world's first LTE/4.9G private wireless network that supports European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2 Signaling. The private network being deployed enables trains to continuously receive their movement authorities using radio signals and report their exact direction and position to ensure the safety of all on board. The low-emission RRTS will transport more people at average speeds of 100 kmph, reducing travel time and road congestion.

RedCap Technology Demo

Reduced Capability (RedCap) solution aims to bring down complexity and extend the battery life of devices while delivering higher data rates/ speeds. RedCap is a new radio access network (RAN) software solution by Ericsson that creates new 5G use cases and enables more 5G connections from devices such as smartwatches, other wearables, industrial sensors and AR/VR devices. At the IMC 2023, Ericsson and Airtel partnered with Qualcomm to demonstrate Reduced Capability (RedCap) device capabilities. Earlier this month, Ericsson's pre-commercial Reduced Capability (RedCap) software was successfully tested on the Airtel 5G network.

How Airtel is solving network problems with AI

Airtel's A-SON solution isn't a new proposition, but it attracted us to demo how this works in a region. Airtel claims that its AI-powered Self Optimising Network or A-SON is reimaging network experience. The system detects anomalies and solves them with AI without any manual intervention. The solution is designed in a way to predict issues that the Airtel networks will face in future and ensure that the team resolves them beforehand. Notably, the solution is fully designed by Airtel and was first introduced in March 2022.

Additionally, Airtel also demonstrated how its Xtream AirFiber works for areas where it has no fiber or broadband connectivity. Currently, the service is available in select regions like Ghaziabad, Faridabad and Noida.

Apart from showcasing live 5G experiences at IMC 2023, Vi demonstrated various use cases spanning Enterprise, Consumer, and Community Development, highlighting the vast potential of technology and 5G.

OnePlus Nord 3 brings some serious upgrades over its predecessor, including some flagship-grade specifications. We discuss this and more on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.