The event IMC 2019 (Indian Mobile Congress), held from 14-16 October at Aerocity, New Delhi, has been dominated primarily by 5G, IoT, and AI. A number of companies like Reliance Jio, Huawei, Qualcomm, Ericsson, and ZTE, came up with their announcements concerning advancements in 5G. Let’s have a look at major highlights of the three-day digital technology event.
IMC 2019 Highlights: 5G, IoT and AI
Jio: 5G Development, Traffic Security System, AI-Video Call Assistant
Starting with Jio, it has announced a collaborative alliance with Samsung to bring 5G in India. As a matter of fact, the telecom giant has built the world’s largest green-field and all IP-based 4G LTE network in partnership with Samsung Networks. The same supports over 340 million LTE subscribers as of August 2019.
Both companies have demonstrated specific 5G use-cases. This includes Virtual Classroom, which will allow attendees to watch a 360-degree virtual lecture taken from a classroom in Jio’s Reliance Corporate Park (RCP) in Mumbai. Besides, there’s Massive Full High-Definition Content Streaming that allows Full-HD video streaming on multiple smartphones (showcased on Galaxy S10 5G) simultaneously and 4K video streaming using various 5G tablets. This promises an unparalleled entertainment experience powered by 5G.
Jio has also announced a new Traffic Security System that will involve intelligent camera reading solutions for real-time monitoring. This will help law enforcement agencies to read and understand the text from CCTV footage. This could be helpful in multiple scenarios like a car jumping a red light, or writing in a building register.
Alongside this, the company has also come up with an AI-based Video Call Assistant that uses a powerful AI-based platform to listen to customers’ questions and respond to them appropriately. It has been developed in conjunction with US-based Radisys to allow small businesses to create their own video call assistants.
Ericcson: 5G Video Calls, Connected Ambulance, more
Ericcson, on the other hand, presented a 5G-powered Connected Music performance along with Airtel. The presentation involved connecting two parts of a musical performance using the 5G network and presenting it live as one, for audiences at two locations. One part of the performance had the singer and music composer while a band played at the Ericsson booth, about 100 meters away.
Furthermore, Ericcson took a step ahead to demonstrate India’s first video call through a 5G network in conjunction with Qualcomm India.
Relive the action as @Ericsson and @qualcomm_in successfully demonstrated India's first #5G video call at the India Mobile Congress. Know more here: https://t.co/DNUCm4S8jk @exploreIMC #EricssonAtIMC #IMC2019 pic.twitter.com/cpC8rK2pE3
— Ericsson India (@EricssonIndia) October 17, 2019
This was followed by other use cases such as connected ambulance, 5G-enabled immersive sports, fixed wireless access, and more. As per the company’s claim, it has already deployed 5G networks in 19 countries across four continents and still counting on.
Airtel: Exciting Digital Solutions for 5G
Airtel individually presented a wide range of digital solutions including cloud-based immersive gaming, secure mining, smart factory, remote healthcare, smart experiences, smart retail stores, advanced surveillance, smart cities, real-time air quality monitoring, smart street lighting poles, smart refrigerators, smart cars, and smart bikes.
ZTE: Low latency 5G, Large bandwidths, Cloud VR Gaming
ZTE introduced their use of 5G technology with the help of robots. Wherein, the ultra-low-latency of connectivity allows the robots to imitate humans in real-time. They’ve also featured large bandwidth for high-speed 4K streaming in parallel and cloud VR gaming. Moreover, the company is planning to debut ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G and ZTE 5G Indoor Router MC801 5G terminal devices in India.
As for now, ZTE has filed around 3,500 5G patents and has emerged as a notable contributor to the development of 5G technology research and standardization.
Commenting on the participation, ZTE Telecom’s CEO Peng Aigung said- “We aspire to collaborate and work with the Indian government in realizing its vision of using cutting-edge technology for the overall economic and social growth of the country. We look forward to showcasing our competencies and capabilities through several 5G demos and use cases at the premier India Mobile Congress. We are confident that our cost-effective and cutting-edge technology solutions will play a crucial role in the development of the complete 5G ecosystem in the country.”
Huawei: 5G + AI, Connected Airports, Cloud WiFi 6, more
Following the same, the Chinese giant Huawei talked about a variety of 5G-enabled applications in the telecommunications and vertical industries. The company showcased a combination of 5G + AI with new applications in 5G + safe city, 5G + smart city, 5G + virtual reality (VR), 5G + airport (connected airports) and 5G + education, i.e., smart classroom.
"We have developed some enterprise solutions and use cases which is based on 5g and AI solutions such as smart cities, smart education" Jay Chen, CEO, @HuaweiIndia#IMC2019 #ShotOnHonor pic.twitter.com/9zKqGO4j8M
— India Mobile Congress (@exploreIMC) October 14, 2019
Huawei’s CEO, Jay Chen, commented, “Now as Indian industries start to explore 5G, we bring some of our globally proven use cases for demo at IMC. Our vision is aligned with the Government of India to bring digital to every person, home, and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world.”
The company also unveiled Huawei Cloud Wi-Fi 6, which backs 5G coverage for indoor environment, supports 200+ concurrent connections and large throughput. Plus, the company’s sub-brand Honor has unveiled Honor Vision Smart TV with a pop-up camera and Harmony OS for the Indian market.
Vodafone-Idea: Focusing Industrial, Commercial and Services Clusters
Alongside, Mavenir and Vodafone-Idea have extended their partnership focussing on the aforementioned three thrust areas. This, amongst other things, will aid new use cases for Vodafone Idea customers.
Qualcomm: 5G, IoT, AI, and more
Qualcomm also joined the discussion by talking on 5G, AI, and IoT termed as the trifecta for intelligent connectivity. The company mentioned that 5G would result in 10x overall improvement over 4G with a 10x latency decrease, 100x traffic capacity improvement, and 100x network efficiency. Plus, it cited AI, AR/ VR, cognitive computing, and machine learning to have the highest potential with 5G evolution and adaption.
“With a 100+ devices that support #5G existing globally, there isn’t a single one that is manufactured in India. We are here to address the ‘why’ of that scenario and change it soon.” – Dr. Kirti Gupta, VP, Technology & Economic strategy, @Qualcomm_IN at #IMC2019. #QatIMC2019 pic.twitter.com/4FaJ3BMVSp
— Qualcomm India (@qualcomm_in) October 16, 2019
The chip-maker has also partnered with ISRO to support India’s Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) and Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) in select chipset platforms across Qualcomm’s upcoming portfolio. It’ll also help improve the user experience for location-based applications such as Swiggy, Zomato, Uber, etc. especially in dense urban environments where geolocation accuracy tends to suffer.
Connected Cars: Airtel and Vodafone-Idea
Other Industrial applications showcased at IMC 2019 include connected cars, providing seamless connectivity to cars with loads of features aiding for an easier and safer driving experience.
Powered by Vodafone Idea Ltd., Kia Seltos's UVO connected cars is the smart lifestyle choice. The technology is truly transformational and built for ease of use. #IMC2019 #VodafoneIdeaAtIMC #SmarterWithIoT pic.twitter.com/iFhMq7WMEB
— Vi_News (@VodaIdea_NEWS) October 16, 2019
This includes features such as AI voice command, stolen vehicle tracking, and immobilization, auto collision notification, SOS-emergency assistance, remote engine start and stop, remotely operated air purifier and in-car air quality monitor. Users will also get notified of fuel usage, and over-speeding. There’s also a new feature dubbed as smart emergency brakes, which will help in preventing accidents.
Launched lately, MG Hector is the first connected car in India backed by Airtel. Whereas, Kia Seltos is another one, powered by Vodafone-Idea to bring smart features to the consumers.
IMC 2019- The Bottom Line
In all, IMC 2019 was primarily influenced by 5G technologies, their evolution, and adaption, accompanied by IoT and Artificial Intelligence. By the way, which innovation are you excited the most for? And, what are your thoughts on the adaption of 5G in India? Let us know in the comments below. Moreover, feel free to reach us in case of any doubts or queries.
Also, read Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL won’t Launch In India: Here’s Why!
