(7 February 2009 9:30 pm)

MUMBAI: The 17th edition of Convergence India will takes place from 18-20 March, 2009 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.

The international exhibition and conference will showcase products and services and cost–effective enterprise solutions for the ICT industry and its users.

The event will be supported by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

With exhibits from over 30 countries, the event will offer an array of technologies and innovations on a global scale. Exhibitions India VP Bunny Sidhu says, “The event has already registered participation from various country pavilions such as China, Taiwan and USA."

Sidhu notes that the industry is positive about the market potential and maintains that enabling the WiMax technology with voice will further make the mobile tariffs more competitive in India. However, experts caution that the opportunity lies in seeing WiMax as complementing and not competing with 3G in India.

The upcoming event has given special focus to the broadcast segment. Exhibitions India GM Vipul Mehra says, “India’s broadcasting industry has taken off with competition accelerating between IPTV, DTH and digital cable providers. This will lay the ground for the emergence of India as Asia’s leading cable market by 2010.”

The concurrent conference is a global platform set to discuss strategic issues of broadband connectivity, 3G, WiMax, Value Added Services (VAS), Next Generation Network (NGN),new business revenue models, corporate social responsibility, and regulatory aspects,etc conducive to the digital landscape.

Associations like the Asia Pacific Satellite Communication Council (APSCC), Cable Operators Federation of India (COFI), Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association (CEAMA), the Indian Cellular Association (ICA), the IPTV India Forum have endorsed the event.

The event is expected to attract over 15,000 trade visitors. Exhibitions India Group chairman Prem Behl says, “The 17th Convergence India 2009 expo brings into sharp focus the tenacity of the Indian ICT industry and the emergence of its growing market as a global destination for business and investment."