The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has reappointed Ajay Puri, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Bharti Airtel, as the Chairman of the industry body for the FY2021-22. Further, according to a PTI report, the President of Reliance Jio Infocomm, Pramod Kumar Mittal, has been reappointed as the Vice Chairman of the industry association.
For the unaware, COAI is an industry body that represents multiple telecom operators from and outside India, including Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea and more.
AGR Ruling Increased Challenges for Industry During Pandemic
In a note, COAI said that the AGR ruling added to the challenges of the industry during the time of the pandemic. Regardless, the telecom industry stood strong and helped people stay connected during the pandemic and multiple cyclones that hit the country.
The association said that it looks at the future in an optimistic manner, given the arrival of 5G will boost things further for the industry. Ajay Puri said that the digital communications industry helped India in staying connected at the hardest of times. Puri assured that the association would keep on working towards the government’s goal of digitising India.
Pramod Kumar Mittal said that he is pleased to be reappointed and will continue to work with the concerned teams to bring in new and better reforms for uplifting and strengthening the sector.
SP Kochhar, Director General of COAI, said that the telecom and digital communications industry acted as the social and economic backbone for the country when the pandemic and other natural calamities struck India.
Kochhar said that the industry’s future is very bright as it is already gearing up for 5G networks. Kocchar further said that COAI is committed to playing an even bigger role to help the government achieve its Digital India vision.
COAI is not a government body; it is an industry trade association formed to look out for the telecom operators and other telecom equipment manufacturers that conduct business in India. The reappointment of the officials is a testament to the fact that the team of the body did a good job last year in ensuring that everyone is connected. COAI not only looks out for the telecom operators but also the end consumers.
