TRAI, STPI host pre-summit on AI’s growing role in telecom ahead of India AI Impact Summit 2026

The pre-summit event brought together policymakers, telecom operators, startups, and researchers to discuss AI-driven networks, ethical deployment, and regulatory frameworks as India prepares for AI-led transformation of its telecom ecosystem.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), in collaboration with the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), organised a pre-summit event of the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, focusing on the theme “AI in Telecommunication.” The event explored how artificial intelligence is reshaping telecom networks, service delivery, and customer engagement in India.

Held at the STPI Conference Facility in East Kidwai Nagar, the programme brought together senior officials from government bodies, telecom service providers, original equipment manufacturers, startups, and academic institutions to deliberate on AI adoption, infrastructure readiness, policy challenges, and real-world use cases.

The event was inaugurated with a ceremonial lamp lighting by senior officials including Anil Kumar Lahoti, Chairman, TRAI; Ritu Ranjan Mittar, Member, TRAI; Dr. M. P. Tangirala, Member, TRAI; Atul Kumar Chaudhary, Secretary, TRAI; Arvind Kumar, Director General, STPI; and Professor Rajat Moona, Director, IIT Gandhinagar.

AI as a foundational capability for telecom

In his opening remarks, Arvind Kumar, Director General, STPI, underscored the importance of building AI-led innovation ecosystems connecting startups, academia, and industry. He noted, "What we once referred to as a simple pipe has now transformed into an intelligent pipe." He also said the upcoming India AI Impact Summit 2026 would provide a future-focused framework for responsible AI adoption.

Delivering the chief guest address, Anil Kumar Lahoti, Chairman, TRAI, highlighted AI’s role in the next phase of telecom evolution. He said, "AI is no longer a futuristic idea for telecom it is now a foundational capability. From network automation to spam detection, AI is already shaping how telecom services are delivered and experienced at scale. The way we design, govern and deploy AI will determine whether it remains trusted, inclusive and resilient in the future."

Focus on responsible and secure AI deployment

Technical sessions examined AI-driven predictive maintenance, traffic optimisation, and self-healing networks across India’s expanding 5G and fibre infrastructure. Industry speakers shared use cases around intelligent network slicing, fraud detection, behavioural analytics, and AI-native architectures.

Separate deliberations on responsible AI focused on transparency, consumer trust, data privacy, and ethical safeguards. Participants discussed AI-based spam detection, unsolicited communication filtering, and personalised service offerings, while stressing the need to minimise false positives.

Special addresses were delivered by representatives from MeitY, COAI, C-DOT, and IIT Gandhinagar, calling for deeper collaboration on indigenous AI research and capacity building.

The discussions from the pre-summit will feed into the India AI Impact Summit 2026, reinforcing India’s push towards intelligent, secure, and consumer-centric telecom networks powered by artificial intelligence.