Indian data should remain in Indian Data Centres
FinTech BizNews Service
Mumbai, 15 October, 2024: Akash Ambani (Chairman, Reliance Jio Infocomm) today delivered speech at the India Mobile Congress 2024. Here is the complete text of his address at the event:
Most Respected Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji,
Honourable Minister of Communications, Shri Jyotiraditya Scindiaji,
Honourable Minister of State for Communications, Dr. Chandrasekar Pemmasaniji,
Chairman of DoT, Dr Neeraj Mittalji,
My esteemed senior colleagues from the industry and distinguished delegates.
Namaste!
My heartiest congratulations to our visionary and incredibly dynamic leader Shri Narendra Modi ji for gracing this edition of the India Mobile Congress in his historic third term as Prime Minister.
Aadaraneeya Pradhan Mantri ji,
Under your visionary guidance, the India Mobile Congress has grown in stature and achieved global standing, making it a significant platform for digital innovation and collaboration.
Because of your encouragement to the industry and innovation, India has been digitally transformed by perhaps the biggest digital revolution in history.
In New India, in Modiji’s India, there is no more business as usual.
Rather, there is unusual synergy between government and industry to deliver world-class services to satisfy the needs and expectations of 1.45 billion Indians.
As a representative of Young India, I thank you for your incredible connection with the youth and for inspiring us to pursue impossible-looking goals.
As we say in Hindi, ‘Modi hai toh mumkin hai’. For our international audiences, ‘Modi makes everything possible’.
Friends,
The world is in awe that a nation crawling at 2G speed only eight years ago, is now a digital superpower galloping down the 5G highway.
I would like to assure the Prime Minister that India will have an even better record with 6G.
From a nation that ranked a lowly 155th in mobile broadband adoption, we have risen to become the world’s largest data market.
From a nation where the number of unicorns could be counted on the fingers of a single hand, we have emerged as the third largest unicorn hub of the world.
UPI has become the World’s No. 1 digital payment system.
Today, India stands as the only large country in the world that has one of the lowest mobile data prices, and yet one of the fastest internet speeds.
India’s per capita data consumption of over 30 GB is one of the highest in the world.
But that is only half the picture.
The other half tells you that India’s story of digital transformation is an example of inclusivity.
Modi Ji has ensured that innovation leads to more inclusion. He has democratized digital technology and used it as a tool to take the benefits of growth to the last mile, leaving no one behind.
Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi ji,
Aapke doordarshi netritva ne ek chamatkar kar diya hai.
Bharat mein ab sirf ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ hi nahi,
Balki ‘Sabka Digital Saath aur Sabka Digital Vikas’ bhi ho raha hai.
India’s digital revolution has spread to the remotest corners of our nation.
Over 530 million unbanked Indians have been brought into the financial system through Jan Dhan accounts.
To put things in perspective, 530 million is more than the combined population of the US, the UK, France, and Canada.
What is even more heartening is that over 300 million of these account holders are women.
I feel both proud and humbled that Jio has played a significant part in this remarkable transformation.
Distinguished Participants,
I take the opportunity of the India Mobile Congress to present two suggestions for the kind consideration of our Prime Minister.
My First Suggestion:
Artificial Intelligence is the most revolutionary tool of transformation invented by the human mind.
It will disruptively transform every aspect of our lives, every facet of our society, every sector of our economy, and bring in an era of unimaginable abundance and efficiency.
With AI, India has the potential to completely transform ─ the Manufacturing sector, including SMEs, so that India becomes the New-Age Factory and New-Age Services Centre for the World.
The Agriculture sector, so that our farmers can become prosperous by growing more with less water.
The Health sector, so that quality healthcare for all can become a reality.
And The Education sector, so that every Indian student can have the best of learning opportunities.
AI is absolutely critical for realizing our dream of Viksit Bharat by 2047.
Therefore, India under your leadership should urgently embrace AI with a holistic strategy driven by maximum atma nirbhar efforts.
At Jio, we have begun our efforts to bring the benefits of AI to every Indian, everywhere, just as we did with mobile broadband.
We are committed to democratizing AI, offering powerful AI models and services to everyone in India at affordable prices.
Towards this end, we are laying the groundwork for a national AI infrastructure.
My second suggestion:
The scale and speed of multi-lingual data generation in India, which will drive the AI revolution, will grow exponentially.
We request the government to expedite the updating of the 2020 draft of the Data Centre Policy.
Indian data should remain in Indian Data Centres.
Therefore, Indian companies ready to set up AI and machine learning data centers should get all necessary incentives, including incentives for power consumption.
Indian mobile companies, along with the thriving ecosystem, are in a position to offer solutions to the rest of the world, including developed countries.
India needs an accelerated talent generation on a scale that is necessary to make India a global AI leader.
Some of the existing jobs will evolve, and many more exciting opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship are going to be created in a rapid way just like during the adoption of computers and internet.
In conclusion, it is our promise that not only will India lead the charge in mobile innovation, but we will also fully embrace the power of AI to create a connected, intelligent future that is truly transformative for every Indian.
