The COAI DigiCom Summit 2026 advocated for an AI-led, secure, and resilient digital ecosystem. Stakeholders stressed collaboration to tackle spam and digital fraud, highlighting India's progress towards a 6G-ready ecosystem.
The COAI DigiCom Summit 2026 called for an AI-led, secure and resilient digital ecosystem, with government officials, regulators and industry leaders emphasising stronger collaboration and proactive measures to tackle spam and digital frauds. The summit concluded with stakeholders advocating "a secure, resilient and innovation-driven digital ecosystem, underpinned by next-generation telecom networks and emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and 5G."
India's Telecom Progress and 6G Ambitions
Highlighting India's telecom progress, NK Bhola, Wireless Advisor, said the country is "gearing up for a 6G-ready ecosystem" amid strong progress in 4G and 5G spectrum availability. He added that "as automation increases, ensuring security and trust will be paramount."
The Role of AI in Transforming Networks
Industry leaders also stressed the growing role of artificial intelligence in transforming networks. Sajan Paul, General Manager - HPE Networking, India, noted that "artificial intelligence is reshaping networking, both in structure and operations," adding that the focus is now on embedding AI to enable "smarter, more efficient and transformative telecom ecosystems."
A panel discussion on building intelligent networks highlighted that "the future of telecom networks will be increasingly AI-led," with a shift towards compute-driven infrastructure and the need for collaboration across the ecosystem.
Policy, Governance, and Security Concerns
On policy and governance, Manish Sinha, Member (Finance), Department of Telecommunications, said artificial intelligence is emerging as a "key transformative force," but also flagged concerns around frauds and spam, stressing the need to "prioritize trust, security and human impact."
Tackling Spam and Digital Fraud
Another panel on tackling spam and digital frauds underscored that addressing the issue requires "a proactive, ecosystem-wide approach, combining AI-led detection... and stronger coordination across Government, industry and digital platforms."
Future Technologies: 6G and 5G Advanced
On future technologies, Dr Punit Rathod of Qualcomm said the convergence of 6G and AI is driving "unprecedented demand for higher bandwidth," making additional spectrum critical for innovation. Experts also highlighted that the next phase of connectivity will be driven by "5G Advanced," with increasing focus on enterprise and mission-critical applications, while calling for policy frameworks that enable innovation and sustainable monetisation models.
Infrastructure and Manufacturing Imperatives
On infrastructure and manufacturing, Deb Kumar Chakrabarti, Member (Services), Department of Telecommunications, said telecom manufacturing remains a "strategic imperative for India," while stressing the need for cost-efficient and targeted production decisions.
Expanding Digital Growth to Tier 2 and Tier 3 Cities
Meanwhile, Dr Devesh Tyagi, CEO of NIXI, said that with India surpassing 1 billion internet users, the next phase of growth will be driven by Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, highlighting the need to ensure service parity across regions.
Vision for India as a Global Digital Hub
The summit concluded with stakeholders highlighting that India has the "foundational strengths of scale, talent, capital and policy support to emerge as a global digital infrastructure hub," while emphasising the need to accelerate fibre expansion, invest in submarine cables and build sovereign AI capacity. (ANI)
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