ITU's Lara to address IMC's "Communications Convergence"

Mumbai, Mar 8 (UNI) Over 300 Indian and foreign telecom experts will participate in the fourth international conference on 'Communications Convergence' organised by Indian Merchants' Chambers (IMC) here on March 16-17, to be inaugurated by Union Communications Minister Dayanidhi Maran.

Briefing newspersons here today, IMC President Rajesh Kapadia said the basic objective of this global conference was to provide a platform for communications industry to discuss various options for ensuring a meaningful connectivity to 'the not yet connected' in a reasonable timeframe with a view to facilitating speedy modernisation of India.

Maharashtra's Minister for Finance Jayant Patil will preside at the conference as the chief guest, while Dr Vijay Bhatkar, Chairman of Dishnet Wireless and a galaxy of international authorities on communications such as Lara Srivastava, who is a telecom policy analyst, Strategy and Policy Unit, International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Geneva to mention a few will be among many luminaries addressing the two-day conference, said Mr Kapadia.

The Chamber, he pointed out, has held three such conferences on communications convergence in the past focusing on 'The Multi-billion Indian opportunity' in December, 2002, 'Bridging the Digital Divide' in January, 2004, and 'The Change Agent' in February, 2005.

Over the years, these conferences have not only evolved as a powerful 'brand' of IMC, but have set global benchmarks in terms of their high standards'' for the emerging countries to emulate, added Mr Kapadia.

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