Mobile World Congress: Indian exhibitors get a large arena even as govt contingent seen missing

A banner of the Mobile World Congress is seen in Barcelona, Spain, February 24, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman - RC1ECC2EAD00

The conspicuous absence of Indian telecom ministry officials at the ongoing Mobile World Congress in Barcelona almost appears to have been substituted by a large exhibition area to showcase Indian enterprises before the world.

If the budgets were indeed diverted by the Indian government from attendees in favour of exhibitors, this is a step in the right direction.

The participating Indian firms include several original equipment manufacturers making routers or hardware devices for connectivity solutions; a few software technology solution providers; and a consumer product company dangling between B2C and B2B business models.

However, footfalls in the Indian section, though not insignificant, were lower than some competitors. This is also because others were actively soliciting passers-by to spend a moment, even if it was useless from a sales perspective, while the Indian exhibitors were concentrating on looking out for interested parties.

Though this has dampened enthusiasm a bit, some training from the government may help.

However, there were a few notable exceptions.

Among the participants is YogiFi, which makes yoga mats that can act as a coach via a phone app, which collects pressure data on the mat to determine if a user formed a correct posture of ‘asanas’. Co-founder Vinod Ajjarapu said the company launched during the pandemic sold around 1,400 mats but was hit by the global semiconductor shortage. “So instead of waiting for the inventory or chips we redesigned the product.”

Gen 2 of YogiFi omits the chip for lighter and different technology. This time, the company is building a B2B business model, where institutes or Yoga teachers can create their own exercise routines on video. The company will then tag and segregate them by posture. The mat will capture and compare the students’ postures with the ideal form.

Is this Peloton of Yoga? Ajjarapu says the user experience was still a work in progress. In addition to the sensors on the mat, the company is working on a camera-driven capturing solution. Last year, the company relocated its manufacturing and assembly units from the US to Bengaluru. The government support has helped, he says.

Another interesting exhibitor is iAcuity Telco. This software solution is ideal for first-time network deployments or operators overhauling or moving to a new technology generation. It is a legally mandated solution that allows watchdogs to listen to or tap activity on sensitive or flagged telecom numbers. It sits on the business server layer of a telecom operator, analyses the warrant or legal document that allows tapping, and then over a secure line clones phone activity to the correct monitoring authority. It also creates a summarised activity report.

Yet another and possibly the most enthusiastic exhibitor is C-DOT, India’s indigenous telecom operating system that has evolved from the 1980s when the platform was commissioned for cabled telephone lines under Sam Pitroda. The department is showcasing hardware and software solutions ranging from the basics to complex 5G ones, which it says were deployed within BSNL’s network.

Of course, there are big, jazzy private Indian exhibitors like Infosys, TCS, HCL Tech and Subex, making this large state-sponsored presence a win for team India.