Day 1 - Monday, December 2nd

9:30-10 Registration

10:00-10:30 Opening and welcoming remarks

Steve Song - Mozilla Foundation / Association for Progressive Communications

10:30-11:00 - Keynote

Prof Abhay Karandikar - Director, IIT Kanpur (on leave from IIT Bombay)

11-12:30 Spectrum Auctions

As demand for wireless spectrum began to exceed its administrative availability, spectrum auctions have emerged as the accepted best practice governments/regulators in the assignment of spectrum. Yet the high prices paid at auction may have an impact on operator roll-out and consumer pricing. Speakers in this session will consider the progress in spectrum auctions to date and reflect on their pros and cons, particularly from the point of view of affordable rural access.

Moderator: Rajat Kathuria, Director and Chief Executive, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER)

Speakers:

• Mr. Rajan Mathews, Cellular Operators Association of India
• Mr. Mahendra Nahata, Director, Reliance Jio
• Mr. Steve Song, Mozilla Foundation / APC

12:30-1:45 Lunch

1:45-3:00 Access to Backhaul

As telecommunication networks move towards integrated, all-digital, broadband networks This session will focus on infrastructural interventions needed to future proof networks across both rural and urban areas in India. Panelists will incorporate learning from other countries across the globe, and from utilities in India to arrive at best practices for driving investment both in fiber and high capacity wireless infrastructure. The role of satellite connectivity to improve backhaul capacity in areas with difficult terrain including ownership structure and implementation models will also be explored.

Moderator: Jyoti Panday, IIMA-Idea Telecom Centre of Excellence (IITCOE)

Speakers:

• Mr. Ashwani Rana, Head of Connectivity, Facebook
• Prof. Rekha Jain, IIM Ahmedabad
• Mr. Shyam Ponappa, Distinguished Fellow, Centre for Internet and Society

3-3:30 Tea Break

3:30-5:30 Innovations in Spectrum Management/Sharing (Last Mile)

It is an undisputed fact that wireless spectrum is under-utilised in rural areas and it is rural areas where the biggest challenges like in affordable access. This session will explore the terms and conditions associated with spectrum licenses, including the impact of the existing regime on the availability of digital services. Apart from existing access technologies, panelists will weigh in on licensing conditions for new technologies being developed and tested that have the potential to provide innovative means of broadband access in rural and remote areas.

Moderator: Mr. Udbhav Tiwari (Mozilla)

Speakers:

• Dr. Apurva Mody, White Space Alliance
• Mr. Kishore Babu,Deputy Director General (Standards – R&D – Innovation) Department of Telecommunications,
• Prof Abhay Karandikar - Director, IIT Kanpur (on leave from IIT Bombay)
• Mr. Shyam Ponappa, Distinguished Fellow, Centre for Internet and Society
• Mr. Sri Chandra, IEEE Bengaluru

6:00-8:00 Cocktail Reception

Day 2 - Tuesday, December 3rd

10-11:30 Partnerships for Digital Inclusion

To address the challenge of affordable connectivity for ALL citizens, we need all sectors of society to be involved, from government to private sector to civil society to academia and beyond. This session will explore the kind of partnerships needed and the policy and regulatory environment needed to create a fully-inclusive digital society.

Moderator: Steve Song, Mozilla Fellow

Speakers:

• Mr. Ashutosh Vasant, Director, Railtel
• Mr. Sunil Jain, Partner, Bharat Innovation Fund
• Ms. Ritu Srivastava, Independent Consultant
• Mr. Mike Ginguld, Director, Strategy & Operations, AirJaldi - Rural Broadband Pvt. Ltd.

11:30-12:00 Keynote Speech

Parag Kar, Qualcomm

12-1:15 Lunch

1:15-2:15PM - Financing Mechanisms

The increasing challenge of building sustainable, affordable telecommunications infrastructure in poorer, more sparsely populated regions has led to the slowing of growth in large-scale mobile networks. Attempts to address this challenge with universal service funds have met with limited success. This session will explore the kinds of financing mechanisms which are likely to lead to affordable, sustainable, inclusive access for all, particularly in rural areas. It will explore how the government, private sector and communities can come together to fund local projects that enable people to get online, increase their digital skills or help keep access relevant and beneficial for new users.

Moderator: Dr. Apurva Mody (White Space Alliance)

Speakers:

• Mr. Osama Manzar, Founder, Digital Empowerment Foundation
• Mr. Vikram Tiwathia, Cellular Operators Association of India
• Dr. Sarbani Belur, Senior Research Scientist, Gram marg, IIT Bombay
• Prof Rekha Jain, IIM Ahmedabad

2:15-3:00 Technological Trends for Affordable Access Part 1

The pace of technological change has begun to outstrip the pace of change in policy and regulation that governs its use. Seemingly overnight new technologies arrive to change how we think about the access landscape. At the same time, the cost of access technologies has plummeted thanks to innovations in global manufacturing. This session will explore the implications of these trends on affordable access strategies.

Moderator: Nico Pace (Association for Progressive Communications)

Speakers:

• Mr. Hemant Mallapur, Co-founder & VP Engineering, Saankhya Labs
• Mr. T B Dinesh,Technical Director, Servelots Infotech Pvt. Ltd
• Mr. Arjun Venkatraman, Founder, MojoLabs

3:00-3:30 Tea Break

3:30-4:30 Technological Trends for Affordable Access Part 2

The pace of technological change has begun to outstrip the pace of change in policy and regulation that governs its use. Seemingly overnight new technologies arrive to change how we think about the access landscape. At the same time, the cost of access technologies has plummeted thanks to innovations in global manufacturing. This session will explore the implications of these trends on affordable access strategies.

Moderator: Nico Pace (Association for Progressive Communications)

Speakers:

• Mr. Senthil Kumar, Founder Seva Mom
• Mr. Vipin Tyagi, Executive Director, C-DOT Campus, Mehrauli, Centre of the Development of Telematics (CDOT)
• Mr. Shiv Jagannath, Co-founder & CEO, M2M Cybernetics

4:30-5 Closing Session

Plenary discussion and final words from organisers.