ITU-APT Foundation of India (IAFI)
World Wi-Fi Day Celebrations
Unlocking the Full Potential of 6GHz Wi-Fi in India Policy, Power & Possibilities
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Supported Associations
Media Partner
Supported Associations
The ITU-APT Foundation of India is organising this workshop around Global Wi-Fi Day to examine the next phase of 6 GHz Wi-Fi in India. Building on the delicensing of the lower 6 GHz band for low-power indoor use, the discussion will focus on advancing policy frameworks for standard power operations, outdoor deployments, AFC mechanisms, and coexistence with incumbent services.
This workshop will bring together policymakers, regulators, industry leaders, and global experts to deliberate on the next phase of India’s regulatory framework. the workshop will review global best practices led by regulators such as the Federal Communications Commission and Ofcom, while identifying a balanced, forward-looking roadmap for India. The objective is to enable scalable, high-performance Wi-Fi that enhances broadband access, supports emerging applications, and strengthens the country’s digital ecosystem.
The agenda will cover global policy approaches, coexistence with incumbent users, ecosystem readiness, and integration with 5G–6G networks, with the objective of enabling informed discussions and developing practical, forward-looking policy recommendations for India’s digital future.
6GHz at a Crossroads: India’s Next Spectrum Decision
Beyond Indoor: The Case for (and Against) Standard Power & Outdoor Wi-Fi
AFC: Silver Bullet or System Burden?
Coexistence Without Compromise: Protecting Incumbents, Enabling Innovation
The 6 GHz Fault Line: Wi-Fi vs IMT—or Can They Coexist?
Global Models, Indian Realities: Copy, Adapt or Leapfrog?
Wi-Fi in the 5G–6G Era: Complement, Competitor or Converged Layer?
From Debate to Decision: India’s 6 GHz Policy Roadmap
The conference offers a range of partnership opportunities, including speaking engagements, branding visibility, exhibition presence, and strategic networking with senior government officials, regulators, global industry leaders, and international delegates.
To explore participation and sponsorship opportunities at theConference, please contact:
The agenda will cover global policy approaches, coexistence challenges, ecosystem readiness, and integration with 5G–6G networks, developing practical, forward-looking policy recommendations for India's digital future.
Join policymakers, regulators, and industry leaders on 24 June 2026 at New Delhi for this landmark workshop on 6 GHz Wi-Fi.
Limited seats available. Registration closes 20 June 2026.
For partnership, speaking opportunities, and event details, reach out to us.
Dr. Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar is a graduate of Osmania Medical College in Hyderabad, India. He ranked 27th out of 60,000 students who took the EAMCET medical school entrance examination, one of the most competitive examinations in the country.
He completed his residency in internal medicine at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania, and obtained the highest percentile scores in most board examinations. He then worked at Johns Hopkins University – Sinai Hospital for about 5 years as an attending physician.
He is also the founder of UWord, an online learning platform for high stakes competitive exams in the US. In 2020, he won the Ernst and Young Award of "Entrepreneur of the Year" in the US. He is also a member of Forbes Business Council.
He has been elected as Member of Parliament from Guntur Lok Sabha constituency in 2024 and serves as Minister of State for Communications, Ministry of Communications, Government of India.
Shri Anand Khare, Member (Services), brings 36 years of extensive telecommunications experience to the Department. He spent over 19 years with BSNL, rising to DE/DGM, and then served as a Project Manager at TCIL for five years, overseeing World Bank-funded projects in Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.
As General Manager in Ropar, Punjab, he significantly expanded rural mobile services. He represented BSNL on the EIG Consortium Management Committee, managing a 15,000 km submarine cable project from India to the UK.
He also served as PGM (Material Management, Mobile and CFA) at BSNL CO for seven years. Prior to his current role, he was Addl DG DoT in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. In March 2025, he assumed the position of Member (Services) at the DCC.
Shri V.J. Christopher is a highly experienced professional in the Wireless Monitoring Organization (WMO), dedicated to the organization since 1991. He has served in various capacities across different Monitoring Stations, including the Satellite Monitoring Station in Jalna, and at the Regional Headquarters in Mumbai.
In 2018, he was promoted as Junior Wireless Adviser (JWA) at the Regional Licensing Office (RLO) Mumbai. Due to his dedication to the work, he was promoted to Wireless Adviser in November 2022. He has experience of Spectrum Management Work at the Ministry in different divisions. He also played an active role in the spectrum auction held in 2016.
Shri Christopher is a strong advocate for international cooperation in the telecommunications sector. He has represented India at several international forums, including the ITU and the WRC.
Shri N. K. Bhola, JWA, brings over 30 years of proven expertise in spectrum management and monitoring within the Wireless Planning and Coordination (WPC) Wing and the Wireless Monitoring Organization (WMO).
Currently, as Director (Satellite & Admn) at WMO HQ, New Delhi, he heads the WPC Wing's field unit. In this role, he oversees spectrum monitoring across India via a comprehensive network: one International Satellite Monitoring Earth Station (ISMES), five International Monitoring Stations (IMSs), and 22 Wireless Monitoring Stations (WMSs).
Shri Bhola has also been instrumental in formulating technical specifications for monitoring systems up to 80 GHz, ensuring full-range frequency band monitoring, including 5G E and V bands.
Shri Ritu Ranjan Mittar is an Indian Telecommunication Services Officer of 1985 Batch. With over 35 years of experience in the telecommunications industry, Sh. Mittar has worked on various projects related to the development and deployment of the telecommunications network. He has contributed to policy making in Department of Telecommunications, Government of India. He has also been involved in the development of various technical standards and specifications for the telecommunications industry, including Quantum, 5G, IoT, and M2M technologies. He is actively participating in the meetings of standards development organizations, viz., ITU, ETSI, APT, WRC, etc. and also interacts with other international fora, viz., 3GPP, ETSI, IETF, One M2M, etc. He held the important leadership position from India as Chairman of International Telecommunication Union (ITU-T) Study Group 11, which deals with the international standardization of “Signalling requirements, protocols, test specifications and combating counterfeit telecommunication/ICT devices”. He was Advisor and headed the Telecommunication Engineering Centre, the technical and standardization arm of Department of Telecommunications, Government of India. He also chaired the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA), 2024. At present, he is Member in Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
Shri Deb kumar Chakrabarti, an esteemed officer from the 1988 batch of the Indian Telecommunications Service (ITS), brings over 34 years of experience in telecommunications, public policy, and management. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electronics and a Master’s in Public Policy and Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, and the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, New York. Throughout his distinguished career, Mr. Chakrabarti has held key positions in the Department of Telecommunications, Telecom PSUs, TRAI, and ISRO. He has made significant contributions in the fields of management, human resources, remote sensing, emerging technologies, and regulations.
Technically sophisticated and business-savvy management leader with a pioneering career spanning 31 years, reflecting strong leadership qualifications and with “hands-on” expertise in Telecom, Information Technology (IT), Defence and Broadcasting sectors. Maintains focus on achieving strategic objectives while formulating and implementing advanced technology and business solutions to meet a wide range of needs. Superior record of delivering simultaneous large-scale projects on time. Team based democratic management style and excellent interpersonal and communication skills. Published technical and academic articles in Magazines and Journals. Alumnus of IIT Roorkee and IIM Bangalore.
Winner of J. C. Bose award (1987) by Ministry of Defence, National e-Governance award (2007) by Government of India , CIO 100 award ( 2007) , by International Data Group (IDG), Deepak C. Jain Award ( 2009) by IIM Bangalore.
Dr. Revathi Mannepalli, JWA, joined Wireless Planning and Coordination (WPC) Wing as a Group A officer in 1996 through Indian Engineering Services (IES) exam, in the IRRS Cadre (Indian Radio Regulatory Services).
She is a recognized Frequency Expert for the Asia Pacific Region, represented India in the Frequency Working Party (FWP) of International Telecommunications Satellite Organisation, Headquarter at Washington, USA.
She is a Member of the Radio Regulatory Board of the ITU-R. She assisted Department of Space (DoS) as spectrum regulatory expert in dealing international arbitration cases at the International Court of Justice, The Hague. She contributed and attended various meetings on spectrum management at ITU and APT regional level.
Shri Gulab Chand holds Bachelor of Engineering (BE) degree in Electronics & Communications from NIT, Durgapur, Joined as a Group-A IRRS officer of 1992 batch in the WPC wing of Department of Telecommunication. Presently, Shri Gulab Chand is working as a Joint Wireless Advisor, RLO Chennai He has more than 30 years of experience in spectrum management. Shri Gulab Chand has a fair understanding of the field of radio-spectrum management/regulations, as worked in the RF spectrum monitoring for 5 years. He participated in various ITU-R meetings held time to time on behalf of Indian Administration. He played a major role in various spectrum auctions in India since 2015.
Shri Gulab Chand is a highly experienced officer in the telecommunications sector and well known for his expertise in policy formulation, regulatory, licensing and spectrum auction work.
Shri NK Bhola, brings over 30 years of proven expertise in spectrum management and monitoring within the Wireless Planning and Coordination (WPC) Wing and the Wireless Monitoring Organization (WMO).
Currently, as Wireless Advisor, WPC, Department of Telecommunications, Government of India. he heads the WPC Wing's field unit. In this role, he oversees spectrum monitoring across India via a comprehensive network: one International Satellite Monitoring Earth Station (ISMES), five International Monitoring Stations (IMSs), and 22 Wireless Monitoring Stations (WMSs). Shri Bhola has also been instrumental in formulating technical specifications for monitoring systems up to 80 GHz, ensuring full-range frequency band monitoring, including 5G E and V bands.
Rudra Narayan Palai is presently serving as Member (Technology), Digital Communication Commission, Department of Telecommunications, Government of India. An officer of the Indian Telecom Service since 1989, he brings more than 37 years of leadership across telecommunications, IT infrastructure, cyber security, public policy, e- Governance, spectrum management, telecom licensing, developing 5G eco-system, 6G initiatives, etc. He has led national network rollouts, shaped IT and telecom policies, and driven digital transformation, while representing India and states in global industry forums.
His expertise spans over electronics CKD/SKD assembly, telecom network planning, enterprise business solutions, and IT policy, e-Governance and disaster management, early-warning systems, and is equally adept at strategic planning, public policy, and project management - combining technical expertise with governance vision.
Started his career as Engineer, Unitel Communication-UB Group, before joining the Indian Telecom Service. He worked in various capacities in DoT, BSNL and State Government of Odisha. He was instrumental installation of public switches of Alcatel and Siemens make, implementation of first Intelligent Network in 1998 in India, roll out of NIB and MPLS project in BSNL, executed Satellite IDR project in NE, executed turn-key network solution projects of major banks, OFB, State WAN under enterprise business of BSNL. He contributed to policy formulation of State RoW for mobile tower and OFC in Odisha, IT policy implementation, handled IT infrastructure such as State data Centre, set up State CERT-O, operation of SWAN, implemented state version of e-Office in State Secretariat, e-Goveraformulated State-led model of BharatNet, implemented Early Warning Dissemination system (EWDS), developed the SATARK lightning alert system, Tsunami Ready village alert system, implemented BSNL 4G saturation project in Odisha.
He held important positions in his service period including, DGM (data Network), Kolkata, DGM(Satellite), NETF, General Manager (CFA), Assam, General Manager (EB), Kokata, Special Secretary in E&IT Department, Revenue &DM Department, CEO, OCAC, ED, OSDMA in Odisha Government, DDG, MP LSA, DoT, CGM, Odisha Circle, BSNL
He holds a B.Sc. (Engg.) in Electronics & Telecommunications, a Master Diploma in Business Administration, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Law and also a Post Graduate Programme in Public Policy & Management from MDI, Gurugram.
Jitendra Singh is working with Qualcomm since 2009. His responsibilities include interfacing with regulatory and policy making agencies in the region on behalf of Qualcomm. Jitendra has more than 30 years of experience in the field of communications management. Prior to his appointment at Qualcomm he served in the government. He has been actively involved in National Working Groups of the ITU-R in India and has been a key contributor in all the Standards related activities of the industry. This includes the advocacy and planning of identification of additional spectrum for IMT and mobile broadband at various forums – National as well as Global. He had been an active contributor by introducing a number of papers in ITUR on behalf of India. He plays a key role in APT region telecom industry coordination activities. He is part of many industry associations. He has created and submitted many spectrum policy related papers in ITU and APT on behalf of India. He also heads GSA India team.
Rahul Vatts is Chief Regulatory Officer (India & South Asia), Bharti Airtel & Director – OneWeb Communications India and Vice Chairman of Indian Space Association (ISpA). He is also Board Director in Indo Teleports Limited & Mobipro, which runs India Mobile Congress.
A telecom & digital industry veteran with over 29 years of experience with leading corporations, Rahul is an expert on Telecom Licensing, Economic & Digital Regulations, Spectrum Management and Regulatory Litigation. He has actively shaped public policy discussion in emerging areas such as data privacy, Open Access, M2M & IoT and content self-regulation. He firmly believes that the aim of policy and regulatory environment should be delivering benefits to stakeholders across value chain viz. consumers, businesses and the Government.
Rahul’s domain expertise has been extensively used in global forums by OneWeb UK, Axiata in Malaysia, Indosat in Indonesia and Dialog in Sri Lanka.
Rahul did his Engineering in Telecommunications from University of Pune and is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad and The Wharton School, Pennsylvania. He has been a member of the Executive Committee of the Cellular operators Association of India (COAI) for more than a decade and is also member of FSMA Global policy group and Spectrum Management group besides being a Governing Council member of various Telecom standardization bodies in India.
Shri M.K. Pattanaik, JWA, is a highly experienced professional in the Satellite Division of the Wireless Planning and Coordination (WPC) Wing, Department of Telecommunications. With 25 years in spectrum management, he has worked across nearly all its domains, including wireless monitoring.
A Graduate Engineer in Electronics and Telecommunications with a Post-Graduate Diploma in Public Policy Management, Shri Pattanaik is known for his commitment to public service. Notably, he led the team that developed the spectrum planning and Pan-India frequency deployment plan for private FM Broadcast expansion in 2015.
Currently, he serves as Co-Chair of APG-23 Study Group 4 on Satellite Related issues and Vice Chair of ITU Study Group 3.
Shri R. K. Pathak is a Director General, Bharat 6G Alliance, He has done his B.E. Hons. (Electrical) and M Tech (Power Electronics). He has more than 33 years of experience in different disciplines including entrepreneurship, standardization and promotion, development of manufacturing of telecom equipment, and investment promotions. He is the nodal officer for the implementation of 5G technology. He is former Deputy Director General (International Cooperation) in the Department of Telecom and was looking after work related to WTO, economic cooperation agreements, standardization, promotion of telecom exports, and Telecom Centre of Excellences, India (TCOE India). He has additional responsibilities as Secretary, of TEPC, and also Director, of TCOE India.
Shri M.P.S. Alawa, a Joint Wireless Advisor at the RLO office in New Delhi, brings extensive experience in radio-frequency spectrum management. He previously played a crucial role in coordinating with stakeholders to formulate India's stance on spectrum issues for international bodies like ITU-R and APT.
His significant contributions include drafting the National Frequency Allocation Plan-2018 and Indian contributions to WRC-19, where he also participated. Earlier in his career, at the Wireless Monitoring Organization, he was involved in monitoring radio-frequency spectrum, identifying sub-bands for new services, ensuring licensing compliance, and assisting wireless users and foreign administrations.
Ms. Alka Asthana, Head of Regulatory Affairs, Tata Communications, a thought leader in Telecom with over 23 years of experience, served at senior positions in TCIL, Indus Tower and Bharti Infratel Ltd. She spearheads technology adoption, strategic planning, and innovative design for Smart Cities, renewable energy solutions, and real-time monitoring.
Her distinguished career includes a 20-year tenure as an Indian Telecom Services officer, providing a unique blend of technocratic and administrative expertise. She has a proven track record of directing strategic planning and policy, leading large-scale project delivery, managing extensive teams, and overseeing pan-India network operations.
Her diverse expertise encompasses Smart City initiatives, Rural Telecom, Fiber, Wi-Fi, 3G GSM, 4G/5G, CDMA, IoT, IBS, network regulation, alternative energy, and data analytics.
Dr Punit Rathod (Member, IEEE) received the Ph.D. degree from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India. He has more than 15 years of wireless research and development experience.
He has a diverse experience of working as an academic researcher and a co-founder of a startup with deployed equipment in public-safety agencies in India and multinational companies. He has contributed to national and international standardization efforts at 3GPP, IEEE, and ITUR. His recent work has been focused on spectrum and standardization.
Prof. Vivek Ashok Bohara is a Professor in the Department of Electronics and
Communications Engineering at IIIT-Delhi and currently serves as Dean of
Innovation, Research & Development (DIRD). He earned his Ph.D. in Electrical and
Electronic Engineering from Nanyang Technological University in 2011 and
subsequently held a Marie Curie Post-Doctoral Fellowship at ESIEE Paris, University
Paris-Est, France.
Since joining IIIT-Delhi in 2013, he has established himself as a leading researcher
in next-generation wireless and optical communication systems. His research
focuses on Visible Light Communication (LiFi), hybrid RF-VLC networks, optical
intelligent reflecting surfaces, UAV communications, vehicular communications, and
emerging 6G technologies. He leads the WiROCOMM Research Group and is a co-
founding faculty member of the LiFi Centre of Excellence at IIIT-Delhi.
Prof. Bohara has authored more than 200 research publications, several book
chapters, and multiple patents. He has received numerous recognitions, including
the National Instruments ASEAN Virtual Instrumentation Applications Contest
awards and best paper/poster awards at major IEEE conferences. He was also a
recipient of the TIH-IoT CHANAKYA Faculty Fellowship.
Industry leader with 30 years of diverse experience in telecom industry having served DoT, BSNL (India’s incumbent telco), TEC, British Telecom, Ericsson and Huawei in key leadership roles. Currently working as Head of Spectrum & 6G Engagement, Region India. Accomplished 3GPP Technology & ITU-R Spectrum standardization expert with outside-in perspective and a good hand at technical analyses and simulations, able to develop immaculate strategy driving a balance among MNOs priorities, Academic research, Industry dynamics, and Policy ambitions. Active participation in WRC-15 and WRC-19 cycles, in consistent engagement with DoT, WPC, TEC, GSA, GSMA, COAI, MNOs and Industry. Presently, spearheading WRC-23 strategy for IMT spectrum agenda actively participating in ITU-R/APT, driving harmonized positions in association with GSA/GSMA/COAI/TSDSI/MNOs/OEMs. Actively engaged with Industry, Government (DoT, WPC, TEC, TRAI), TSDSI and industry think-tanks (GSMA, GSA, COAI). Keeping close track of CEPT ECC PT1 and emerging spectrum access paradigms (DSA, eLSA, CBRS) and Open-RAN initiatives, and associated challenges. Consistently engaged in 3GPP for LTE and 5G NR standards development (RAN, SA) since 2012 and start-to-finish participation in ITU-R IMT-2020 cycle (2014-2020), gaining hands-on experience to system-wide view to technology development lifecycle, exposure to IPR / SEP (FRAND) aspects. Currently, engaged in ITU-R IMT-2030/ 6G development process.
Shri Paramjit Singh Puri serves as Director Membership APAC and EMEA, Wi-Fi Alliance a leading international industry and trade organization for the wireless and Wi-Fi sector. The Alliance boasts over 900 members spanning the communications, wireless, Wi-Fi, IoT, and automotive industries.
The Wi-Fi Alliance actively drives global Wi-Fi adoption and evolution through thought leadership, spectrum advocacy, and industry-wide collaboration. Their work encompasses developing innovative technologies, requirements, and test programs that ensure Wi-Fi delivers the expected interoperability, security, and reliability.
Before joining the Wi-Fi Alliance, Mr. Puri spent six years heading Industry Development and Membership for the Wireless Broadband Alliance Ltd. A seasoned veteran of the ICT industry, his career includes senior positions at AT&T, Cisco, Siemens, Compaq, and Epson, where he notably served as MD of Epson India.
Monisha Ghosh is a Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Notre Dame and a member of the Notre Dame Wireless Institute. She is also the Policy Outreach Director for SpectrumX, the first NSF Center for Spectrum Innovation and the co-chair of the FCC’s Technological Advisory Council (TAC) Working Group on Advanced Spectrum Sharing. Her research interests are in the development of next generation wireless systems: cellular, Wi-Fi and IoT, with an emphasis on spectrum sharing and coexistence and applications of machine learning to improve network performance. Prior to joining the University of Notre Dame in 2022, she was the Chief Technology Officer at the Federal Communications Commission, a Program Director at the National Science Foundation, Research Professor at the University of Chicago and spent 24 years in industry research at Bell Labs, Philips Research and Interdigital working on a wide variety of wireless systems: HDTV, Wi-Fi, TV White Spaces and cellular. She obtained her B.Tech from IIT Kharagpur in 1986 and Ph.D. from USC in 1991. She is a Fellow of the IEEE.
Mr Bashir Patel serves as Inmarsat's Regional Advisor for the South Asia, Middle East, and Africa (SAMEA) region. He is widely recognized as a highly experienced executive in ICT, satellite systems, and defense aerospace, with over 35 years in the high-tech industry.
His extensive career spans management consulting, regional regulatory policy, and business and market development within the telecom, satellite, and defense sectors. Notably, he has collaborated with governments across various regions, launching satellite communications technologies as early as the mid-1980s.
A passionate technologist, his experience includes advanced aerospace projects at BAe Systems, Inmarsat, and ICO Global Communications. Prior to rejoining Inmarsat in 2013, he was Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO), engaging with 54 Commonwealth Governments globally.
Mr. Rishant Dahiya, a Wireless Evangelist, is currently working as "Technical Solutions Architect-Wireless" in CISCO since more than 8 years and responsible for India & SAARC countries. Prior to CISCO, Mr Rishant Dahiya worked in HPE Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprises company for 14 years.
He is a seasoned wireless expert with over 18+ years of experience in networking industry.
Dr Martha Suarez is President of the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance and has over 15 years of experience in the telecommunications industry. In her current role at the DSA she advocates for laws and regulations that will lead to more efficient and effective spectrum utilization, which is essential to addressing key worldwide social and economic challenges.
She spent over three years as General Director of the National Spectrum Agency in Colombia, having originally joined the ANE in 2013. Before that, she was awarded with a Marie Curie Fellowship and worked at the Instytut Technologii Elektronowej ITE in Poland for the Partnership for Cognitive Radio Par4CR European Project.
Suarez is an electronics engineer, with a master degree in high frequency communication systems and is Doctor in electronics from the University Paris-Est.
Bringing over two decades of experience in product design and development life cycle to HFCL. Responsible for redefining product development processes and inspiring innovation to build revolutionary products and solutions and bring exponential growth to HFCL.
Alan Norman joined Facebook's connectivity policy team in August 2016 and actively supports Facebook's Connectivity initiatives. Alan is a long-time advocate for improved broadband and internet access, shared infrastructure, and spectrum for next generation technologies.
Recently Alan has been actively engaged on Rural Access, Wi-Fi, mmWave, and 5G. Alan holds a BS in Mathematical Sciences from Stanford University and an MS in Management from Stanford's Graduate School of Business where he was a Sloan Fellow.
Shri S.N. Gupta, an internationally recognized expert in NGN technologies, regulation, and broadband, brings over 40 years of comprehensive telecom experience, including 25 years with government and regulatory bodies. Publicly acclaimed as an Analyst, Author, Advocate, and Advisor on ICT policies, projects, and business, he is globally known as "NGNguru."
A triple master in Electronics Design Technology, IT Management, and Telecom Policy & Regulation, his career began with the Ministry of Communication in 1981, earning the Minister of Railways Award for his work on the Delhi Area Digitalization Project. He is the author of "Everything over IP - All you want to know about NGN."
Currently, he serves as Chairman of BLUETOWN, India & BIMSTEC, S. Asia, driving partnerships to connect the world's rural populations. He is also the Honorary Secretary General of ITU-APT Foundation of India, Vice-President and Trustee of DCIF, and chairs the BIF committee on Rural Digital Infrastructure. He is the first Indian recipient of the IPv6 Hall of Fame – 2019 entry and Chairman of the India IPv6 Council.
Shri Bharat Bhatia has over 45 years of experience in Telecom and ICT policy, regulations and spectrum management. He is the President of ITU-APT Foundation of India and Vice Chairman of the World Wireless Research Forum (WWRF) for the Asia Pacific. Mr. Bhatia also chairs the PPDR working groups under ITU and APT.
Earlier he was also the President of TEMA – India's Telecom Equipment Manufacturers Association and Vice President of ATIS. Mr. Bhatia was earlier heading the international spectrum team of Motorola Solutions Inc. where he worked for over 20 years. Prior to that, he was a senior regulator with the Indian Government for 22 years.
He was actively involved in opening of the Indian telecom to the private sector, including the licensing of first ever GSM metro cellular in India through a beauty contest in 1992. He was also a key architect of India's first ever National Frequency Allocation Plan (NFAP) in 1981. He was the key originator of ITU World Radio Conference Resolutions on PPDR, which were adopted at WRC-2003 and WRC-2015.
Mr S.N. Gupta, an internationally recognized expert in NGN technologies, regulation, and broadband, brings over 40 years of comprehensive telecom experience, including 25 years with government and regulatory bodies. Publicly acclaimed as an Analyst, Author, Advocate, and Advisor on ICT policies, projects, and business, he is globally known as "NGNguru."
A triple master in Electronics Design Technology, IT Management, and Telecom Policy & Regulation, his career began with the Ministry of Communication in 1981, earning the Minister of Railways Award for his work on the Delhi Area Digitalization Project. He is the author of "Everything over IP - All you want to know about NGN" and the conceptual work "Job Factory - Converting Unemployment into Entrepreneurship." His recent research, "Long Tail - Walking the Extra Mile on Rural Broadband Business," outlines sustainable rural broadband models.
Currently, he serves as Chairman of BLUETOWN, India & BIMSTEC, S. Asia, driving partnerships to connect the world's rural populations. He is also the Honorary Secretary General of ITU-APT Foundation of India, Vice-President and Trustee of DCIF, and chairs the BIF committee on Rural Digital Infrastructure.
A dedicated trainer and regulatory advocate, he founded the NGN Forum in India and recently established the Blockchain for Productivity Forum as its Chairman. As an expert panel member for the Commonwealth Telecom Organisation, he conducts training on NGN, broadband policy, spectrum management, IPv6, AI, and Blockchain. He is the first Indian recipient of the IPv6 Hall of Fame – 2019 entry and Chairman of the India IPv6 Council.
Punit Rathod (Member, IEEE) received the Ph.D. degree from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India. He has more than 15 years of wireless research and development experience. He has a diverse experience of working as an academic researcher and a co-founder of a startup with deployed equipment in public-safety agencies in India and multinational companies. He has contributed to national and international standardization efforts at 3GPP, IEEE, and ITUR. His recent work has been focused on spectrum and standardization as a Lead-Technical Standards with Qualcomm Standards and Industry Organization.
Shri Ravi Gandhi expert in Public Policy & Regulatory Affairs with a demonstrated career history in the telecommunications industry. Skilled in Business Management, Strategic Planning, Crossfunctional Team Leadership and Management
Dr. Sendil Kumar Devar is currently responsible for leading standardization and spectrum engagements in India. He works closely with the national, regional and global working groups related to standards and spectrum matters. He actively contributes towards national preparatory views towards the ITU-R, APT, AWG and WRC., He actively contributed in the IMT-2020 process. At Ericsson, he is focused on future spectrum that are subject of the World Radio Conference and support for technical studies. He was awarded Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering with specialization in Wireless Communication from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras., Prior to Ericsson, he worked with research organizations including Samsung R&D, Centre of Excellence of Wireless Technology and Telecom Centre of Excellence. He had contributed to standardization development in both 3GPP2 and 3GPP for HRPD, HSDPA, LTE. He also has a career stint as a mentor in a patent service organization dealing with patents for 4G standards and high-tech industries.
Thought leader with a career spanning over 23 years in Telecom
As CTO for Bharti Infratel Limited, mobile infrastructure provider, am leading technology adoption, strategic planning and innovative designing towards Smart Cities’ delivery, renewable energy solutions, cost and opex efficiencies, business development and real time monitoring.
This has followed a successful and challenging tenure of 20 years in telecom bureaucracy, as officer of the Indian Telecom Services.
As a Technocrat and Admnistrator gained rich and diverse experience by way of directing strategic planning and policy, leading large scale project delivery, managing large teams, running pan-India network operations, establishing new business models and work ethics, achieving consensus among multiple stake-holders.
Roles have involved delivery in fields of Smart City, Rural Telecom, Housing Infrastructure, Fibre, WiFi, 3G GSM, CDMA, TAX, VAS, IoT, IBS, Landline Network, Regulation, Alternative energy, Remote monitoring, Data Analysis, Energy management and Command Center.
Strengths include Varied experience, ability to multi-task, ensuring delivery through personal excellence and stake-holders’ cooperation irrespective of technical and social complexity.
Also double up as Avid Reader, Bilingual Poet, Eager Traveller and Social Change Agent.
Shri Tarun Chitkara serves as Vice-President regulatory affairs having more than 20 years of invaluable experience in Airtel regulatory function, He has successfully handled various issues/assignments ranging from operational to most strategic and sensitive issues. He is having a deep understanding of the Indian regulatory environment and developments since privatization of the telecom sector. Among his myriad responsibilities, his job requires extensive interaction with various government bodies and industry associations to pursue company’s interests.
His expertise lies in Telecom, Broadcasting regulations, and Corporate Affairs, making him an indispensable asset to the company.
Prof. Rajeev Shorey received his Ph.D. and M.S. (Engg) in Electrical Communication Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, India in 1996 and 1991 respectively. He received his B.E degree in Computer Science and Engineering from IISc, Bangalore in 1987.
Rajeev’s career spans several reputed industrial research labs and academic institutions in India and the USA. He was the former CEO of the University of Queensland – IIT Delhi Academy of Research (UQIDAR) at IIT Delhi (2020 – 2023). He served as the first President of NIIT University (2009 – 2013). His career in the industrial research labs of multinational companies includes TCS Research & Innovation, General Motors (GM) India Science Laboratory, IBM India Research Laboratory and SASKEN Technologies. Rajeev serves as an Adjunct Professor in the Computer Science & Engineering department at IIT Delhi. He is an Honorary Professor at the University of Queensland, Australia, SRM University, Andhra Pradesh and LNMIIT, Jaipur.
Rajeev’s work has resulted in more than 75 publications in international journals and conferences and several US patents, all in the area of wireless and wired networks. He has 13 issued US patents and several pending US patents to his credit. Dr. Shorey serves on the editorial board of the IEEE Internet of Things Journal and Springer’s Journal of Wireless Networks. His areas of interest are Wireless Networks including 5G Networks, Telematics, IoT, Industrial IoT, IoT Security and Automotive Networks, including the intersection of AI, Machine Learning and Communication Networks.
For his contributions in the area of Communication Networks, Rajeev was elected a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering in 2007. He was recognized by ACM as a Distinguished Scientist in December 2014. He was elected a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), UK in 2021.
Rajeev serves on the Executive Council of ACM India and the Executive Council of IEEE ComSoc, Delhi Chapter. He is the co-founder & steering committee co-chair of two of the highly reputed international conferences – COMSNETS (www.comsnets.org) and AIMLSystems (www.aimlsystems.org). Rajeev serves on the advisory board of several start-up organizations and evaluation committee of several IT related projects of the Government of India.