India Critical Communications Conference Calls for Resilient, Interoperable Emergency Networks

Policymakers and industry leaders in New Delhi urge terrestrial-satellite convergence following recent regional disasters

Policymakers, regulators, disaster management authorities and communications specialists gathered in New Delhi on 2 September for the second Critical Communications India Conference and Exhibition, jointly organised by the Broadband India Forum (BIF) and the Critical Communications Association (TCCA), to discuss how India can build a more resilient mission-critical communications ecosystem.

The exhibition floor featured major industry players including Motorola Solutions, Airbus Public Safety and Security, Zebra, Qualcomm, Sepura, Etherstack  Ericsson and Valid8.

The conference took place against the backdrop of recent flash floods in Nepal and other regional disasters that have again exposed vulnerabilities in emergency communications infrastructure, reinforcing calls for networks that remain operational when conventional systems are damaged or overloaded.

Krishna S Vatsa, Head of Department and Member of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), said major disasters repeatedly reveal the same weaknesses: damaged telecom infrastructure, network congestion and insufficient redundancy. He called for a layered architecture combining terrestrial mission-critical networks with satellite and emerging technologies, rather than reliance on any single connectivity type.

Anil Kumar Lahoti, Chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), said critical communications underpin public safety, emergency response and the continuity of essential services, and require a coordinated national framework covering infrastructure, policy, spectrum and technical standards. He cited applications spanning disaster relief, mass rapid transit and railway safety systems.

TV Ramachandran, President of BIF, observed that critical communications infrastructure demonstrates its real value precisely when conventional networks come under the greatest strain.

In a keynote address, Enrique Garcia, Head of Mission Critical Networks and Enterprise for Southeast Asia, Oceania and India at Ericsson, set out a vision for the next generation of Public Protection and Disaster Relief (PPDR) networks in India, arguing that such infrastructure must serve first responders reliably in a crisis while delivering everyday value. He outlined four priorities for the country's PPDR development: establishing PPDR as critical national infrastructure with resilience, quality of service, priority and pre-emption designed in from the outset; drawing on India's telecom operators, technology ecosystem and international expertise through closer collaboration; building networks with 5G and 6G in mind from the start, enabling AI-driven situational awareness, advanced video and network-based sensing, including the detection of unauthorised drones in sensitive locations; and ensuring critical networks generate value beyond emergencies, through user-centred design, sound regulatory and spectrum decisions, interoperability and a phased rollout. "Build the network today with the resilience to respond to tomorrow's challenges," Garcia said, while creating value every day.

Reinier Treur, Sales and Marketing Director Valid8 said:

"We’re seeing strong and growing interest in testing MCX solutions across Asia from customer devices to MCX servers. This clearly highlights the increasing importance of reliable, independent testing as the MCX ecosystem continues to expand globally."

The conference's second day addressed broadband PPDR deployments, control centres, device ecosystems and cross-agency interoperability.

Following the conference, Harald Ludwig, Chair of TCCA's Technical Forum, opened a joint TCCA and Global Certification Forum (GCF) Mission Critical Services (MCS) workshop, held at the same venue in New Delhi.