TRAI Leads National Dialogue on Responsible AI in Telecom at India AI Impact Summit 2026

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) today convened a high-level session on "Responsible AI in Telecom" at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, held at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, New Delhi.

The session brought together senior leaders from telecom service providers, global technology firms, industry associations, international bodies, and government institutions to deliberate on policy and operational frameworks for deploying artificial intelligence in telecom networks and consumer-facing applications.

The program served as a key platform for discussions on governance priorities such as trust, accountability, safety, transparency, and the scaling of AI responsibly in telecom operations, consumer protection, and service delivery.

AI Becomes Integral to Telecom Networks: TRAI Chairman

The session opened with an inaugural address by Shri Anil Kumar Lahoti, Chairman, TRAI, who underlined that AI is no longer peripheral but foundational to the telecom ecosystem.

"Artificial intelligence is no longer a peripheral technology for telecom; it is becoming integral to how networks are designed, managed, and experienced," Shri Lahoti said.

He emphasised that as AI systems increasingly influence decisions at population scale, trust must remain central.

"Efficiency gains must be accompanied by transparency, accountability, human oversight, and clearly defined guardrails that ensure fairness and unbiased outcomes," he added.

Telecom as a Pillar of India's AI Infrastructure

Shri Lahoti noted that telecom networks form a central pillar of India's AI infrastructure, particularly given the scale of India's subscriber base.

AI is already being deployed across telecom operations to:

• Optimise network performance

• Predict equipment faults

• Enhance energy efficiency

• Improve customer experience

• Combat fraud and spam communications

He highlighted strengthened enforcement and AI-driven filtering mechanisms that have enabled action against spam-linked connections. TRAI is also working toward implementing digital consent frameworks to ensure verifiable consumer consent in commercial communications.

The Chairman reiterated TRAI's commitment to a risk-based regulatory approach and the use of regulatory sandboxes to enable innovation while safeguarding consumer rights.

Two Key Panels on Networks and Customer Trust

The program featured two focused panel discussions addressing the imperative dimensions of AI integration in telecom:

• Preparing telecom networks for the AI era

• Building customer trust in AI-driven telecom operations

Together, the panels underscored the dual priority of strengthening network intelligence while ensuring consumer confidence.

Panel I: Preparing Telecom Networks for the AI Era

The first panel, titled "Preparing Telecom Networks for the AI Era," was chaired by Shri Ritu Ranjan Mittar, Member, TRAI.

The panel included:

• Mr. Magnus Ewerbring, CTO, Ericsson

• Mr. Vinesh Sukumar, VP Product Management, Qualcomm

• Mr. Pasi Toivanen, SVP Strategic Government & Industry Initiatives, Nokia

• Mr. Shantigram Jagannath, Senior VP & Head NMS, Tejas Networks

Discussions focused on the adoption of AI-native architectures across expanding 5G ecosystems, and the need to embed responsibility by design through:

• Greater transparency and explainability

• Security and safety safeguards

• Environmental sustainability

• Responsible automation in network management

Panel II: Building Customer Trust Through AI-Driven Operations

The second panel, titled "Building Customer Trust through AI-driven Operations," was chaired by Dr. M. P. Tangirala, Member, TRAI.

Panelists included:

• Mr. Julian Gorman, Head of APAC, GSMA

• Dr. Rajkumar Upadhyay, CEO & Chairman, C-DOT

• Mr. Mathan Babu Kasilingam, CTSO & Data Privacy Officer, Vodafone India Ltd.

• Mr. Syed Tausif Abbas, Senior DDG & Head, TEC, DoT

The deliberations explored critical governance questions such as:

• Accountability in automated network decisions

• Transparency in AI-driven customer engagement

• Ethical AI frameworks for telecom service providers

• Responsible AI tools for spam and fraud prevention

• Standards for creating an AI incident database to analyse failures in critical infrastructure

The panel also examined scaling AI responsibly in emerging 5G and future 6G environments, particularly in fraud detection and customer-facing analytics.

Collaborative Governance for Trusted Telecom AI

Senior industry representatives, policymakers and technology experts agreed that trusted AI adoption in telecom will require sustained coordination between regulators, industry stakeholders and global technology partners.

Participants noted that responsible AI deployment must remain balanced—supporting innovation while ensuring security, consumer protection, and public trust.

Contribution to India's Responsible AI Vision

The deliberations from the session will contribute to the broader objectives of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, supporting India's vision of responsible, inclusive, and development-oriented AI adoption in the telecom sector.

Media Contact

For further information, please contact:

Shri Sameer GuptaAdvisor (Networks, Spectrum & Licensing), TRAIEmail: adv-nsl1@trai.gov.in

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