COAI, the industry association responsible for representing top Telecom, Technology. Internet and Digital Services companies on Thursday concluded the AGM or Annual General Body Meeting for the year 2020-21, by announcing its leadership for 2021-22. It was announced that Mr. Ajai Puri, who is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for India and South Asia, Bharti Airtel Limited, will again hold the position of Chairman whilst Mr. Pramod Kumar Mittal who is the President of Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, will be the Vice Chairman of the Association. In case you were wondering, Mr. Ajai Puri has been a part of the Bharti Airtel family since 2004, and has been holding several senior leadership positions such as Director, Market Operations, and Director and CEO of DTH in the past. Before he joined Bharti Airtel, Mr. Puri was the Business Head of Foods at Cargill Foods India, with his career beginning with VST India Ltd, which is an associate company of British American Tobacco centered in the UK. Additionally, Mr. Pramod K. Mittal is quite experienced with42 years under his belt in terms of telecommunications. Prior to joining, Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. as President, Mr. Mittal was a part of the Department of Telecommunications, an entity of the Government of India, for over 37 years. Since 2000, he has served as Deputy Director General (DDG) and Senior DDG by working in the telecommunication policy formulation and implementation, licensing, and regulatory wings of the DoT. As part of his tenure, he was held responsible for tasks such as liberalization of Basic services, the opening of National Long-Distance Services and International Long-Distance Services, and the introduction and implementation of the Unified Access Service Licence.
What Does the COAI Have to Say
Lt. Gen. Dr SP Kochhar who is the Director-General of COAI, expressed on Thursday his appreciation towards Mr Ajai Puri and Mr. Pramod K Mittal’s support and leadership. 2020 has been quite eventful and challenging for the Indian telecom industry. The AGR ruling of the Honorable SC has added to the challenges posed by the pandemic. COAI is also optimistic about the future of the industry and the opportunities that lie ahead, with 5G and allied technologies getting closer to commercial deployment. Dr. SP Kochhar, Director General, COAI stated that the COAI would like to thank its leadership for their guidance and support during this challenging time and further express confidence in their ability to steer the Association and the sector towards long term health and stability. The COAI is pleased to share that the digital communications industry, via the support of the government has been able to emerge as the economic and social backbone of the Nation, keeping the citizens connected and enabling the economy to function during the crisis period of COVID-19 and cyclones. As the industry continues to play its critical role, the future has a lot in store for the association, with the ecosystem gearing up for 5G.
