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India's telecom networks are stepping into the spotlight as the India AI Impact Summit 2026 kicks off in New Delhi. These networks are no longer merely pipes for data; they are the foundation of the country's AI ambitions.
Industry leaders stated the inflexion point is no longer whether AI will transform connectivity, but how fast national-scale networks can industrialise it across operations, customer experience, and security. Lt Gen Dr SP Kochhar, Director General of the Cellular Operators Association of India, says, "AI is no longer an experiment for the telecom sector; rather, it has become a necessity to manage the growing complexity of national-scale networks." He noted that AI is now embedded in core operations , including network planning, rollout optimisation, predictive maintenance, traffic management, and fraud detection. Kochhar explains that telcos use AI-based systems to flag or block spam calls and SMS, which strengthens consumer trust in digital networks. Data consumption in India has reached 32 GB per user per month, and 5G subscriptions are expected to exceed 1 billion by 2031. Kochhar believes the next phase will involve autonomy, efficiency, and sustainability. He stated, "As India transitions from 5G to 6G, AI-driven automation will deepen further, delivering measurable gains in efficiency and sustainability." He adds that telecom networks function as intelligent platforms for healthcare, disaster response, and public safety. Tarun Chhabra, Sr. Vice President and Country Head of Nokia India, says the industry is entering a phase in which traffic patterns are changing due to the AI supercycle. He observed, "AI is aggressively reshaping the telecommunications industry, optimising network resources, streamlining service operations, and revolutionising the customer experience." Chhabra pointed to Nokia AVA as a tool that brings AI-powered services to operations, enabling predictive maintenance and automated troubleshooting to reduce costs. At the software layer, AI is changing how operators manage customer interactions. Manish Agrawal, President & COO at Comviva, says the impact is visible in personalised engagement and automated billing. He stated, "Across telecom, the biggest day-to-day impact of AI is showing up in personalised customer engagement...how operators acquire customers, manage journeys, automate billing and revenue processes and detect risk, and shift operations from manual and reactive to predictive and intelligent." Agrawal noted that Comviva is embedding AI into its products and workflows. Pankaj Malik, CEO and Whole-time Director of Invenia-STL Networks, said the summit signals a move from discussion to delivery. He noted, "Resilient core-to-edge architectures, strong data governance and automation-led operations will determine how effectively innovation translates into economic and societal value." Satellite communications are also integrating AI. Gautam Sharma, Managing Director of Viasat India, says AI is reshaping the sector into cognitive infrastructure. He noted, "Networks are starting to learn from their own telemetry, using machine learning to spot anomalies early, predict congestion and automate troubleshooting so availability improves even as traffic and complexity rise." The convergence of telecom, software, and satellite sectors indicates that India's networks are the foundation for the digital economy. (ANI)
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