South Asia's largest and the most prominent ICT event, the 16th Convergence India 2008 took place at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi from 19-21 March 2008. The international exhibition & conference is supported by the Department of Telecommunications and Department of Information Technology, Govt. of India, and certified by the US Department of Commerce. For the past 16 years, Exhibitions India Group has been organizing this mega ICT event whose success is strengthening with each passing year. The exhibition brought together Government, Private Organizations & Regulatory Authorities to provide a common platform to leverage on the benefits offered by ICT.

The 16th edition of Convergence India had over 550 Indian and international participants with 4 country pavilions namely China, Korea, Taiwan, and USA. The products displayed were latest technologies in broadband and wireless access, VoIP, optical access networking, 3G, m-commerce, multimedia broadband services via satellite & ASP, mobile phone accessories, conditional access technologies, satellite receivers & transmitters, set top boxes, conditional access systems, DTH technologies, encoders, decoders, IPTV, VoD, etc. The exhibition also highlighted the significant role of Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) in integration of landline and wireless technologies to create a single telecommunication network foundation in India.

The theme of the event was "Convergence Empowering.... a Billion Lives". BSNL and Alcatel Lucent were associated with the show as the Gold Sponsors. The show was dominated by the participation of key players which included MTNL, Ericsson, IBM, Motorola, Nokia Siemens Networks, Proxim Wireless, Powergrid, C-DOT, ITI & BEL who showcased their support and contributions on the emerging technologies.

The show gave a platform to Corporates as well as SMEs to interact with the buyers, service providers and decision makers in the private and public domains. The concurrent conference sessions on 3 tracks, viz. information technology, telecom broadcast, cable & satellite proved as catalysts in addressing the many challenges that exists in the field. Major topics being covered in the conferences which were taken up by 55 eminent speakers from across the globe were Next Generation Networks, Creating the Business of Infotainment, Mobile Convergence, Business Drivers & Solutions in Telecom Services & Applications, DTH/PTV/Mobile TV, Information Theft: Security Issues, Strategies & Challenges, Developing Mobile Communications in Rural Areas - Role of Stakeholders, and Data Management for the Enterprise.

In short, the 16th Convergence India 2008 was an enriching experience offering multiple business opportunities and helping India take a quantum leap in the field of information and communication technologies.

Tradeindia was associated with the mega show as the Online Media Partner. Our participation at the three day event was worthwhile and valuable. Our representatives met many of the key players of the user industry and disseminated awareness about the role of b2b platforms in promoting the SMEs to a global level, carving for them a distinct niche. With the Internet boom being witnessed recently, conducting business today is possible by just the click of the mouse. And with b2b portals playing a promotional role on the SMEs' favor, the effort is further rewarded. Tradeindia has been doing this since its inception, contributing to the Indian growing economy every year. Other national and international business visitors attended our booth to know about our products and services. They were all gifted with Tradeindia CD Roms and the portal's promotional yellow bags. The visitors felt that the CD Roms would serve their purpose of contacting Indian suppliers, thus saving on their time and the hassles of searching reliable sellers. The yellow bags hanging on the shoulders of the visitors attracted the attention of many a curious eye, who identified them by the logos.