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Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia unveiled 'Scale without boundaries' as the theme for the 10th India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2026, to be held 7-10 October 2026 at Yashobhoomi, New Delhi.
IMC 2026 is built around four pillars — Srishti, Suraksha, Sashakt and Samvardhan; IMC, launched in 2017, is jointly organised by DoT and COAI, and its 2025 edition drew 1.4 lakh+ visitors from 101 countries.
Separately, DoT and the Madhya Pradesh Government will sign an MoU on 30 July 2026 to establish India's first Telecom Manufacturing Zone (TMZ), Phase-I, at Gwalior.
The TMZ complements DoT's existing PLI Scheme for Telecom & Networking Products (₹12,195 crore outlay, launched 2021).
Nodal government department organising IMC and signing the TMZ MoU
Industry association co-organising IMC with DoT since 2017
Build a world-class domestic telecom-equipment manufacturing ecosystem
Key: India's first TMZ; MoU between DoT and the Madhya Pradesh Government signed 30.07.2026
Reduce import dependency, boost domestic telecom equipment production and exports
Key: ₹12,195 crore outlay, launched February 2021 under the November 2020 umbrella PLI Cabinet approval, 5-year tenure to FY26
IMC, launched in 2017 by the Department of Telecommunications and the Cellular Operators Association of India, is Asia's largest digital-technology forum, bringing together telecom operators, policymakers, startups and global tech leaders. The 10th edition (2026) marks a decade since its debut theme of 'connecting the next billion' — 'Scale without boundaries' reflects India's shift from being primarily a technology market to a technology exporter, running alongside DoT's parallel push, via the new Gwalior Telecom Manufacturing Zone, to build the domestic manufacturing capacity for the equipment IMC showcases.
Simple Analogy: IMC is India's telecom 'trade fair and idea festival' rolled into one; the Gwalior TMZ is the factory floor meant to actually build what gets showcased there.
The Gwalior TMZ explicitly advances self-reliant domestic telecom equipment manufacturing
IMC 2026 will showcase 5G, 6G, AI, IoT and satellite communications — the same technologies India's 6G roadmap targets
IMC's flagship startup platform connecting emerging-tech startups with investors and industry
GS Paper 3 > Indian Economy > Telecom Sector & Infrastructure
Who inaugurated India's first lithium-ion battery plant in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, in September 2022?
Answer: Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology
Recurring — IMC theme/pillar announcements happen annually ahead of each edition
A dedicated industrial zone for domestic telecom-equipment manufacturing; India's first is being set up at Gwalior
IMC's flagship startup programme connecting emerging-technology startups with investors and industry