The Indian Mobile Congress (IMC), which has slated the second edition of the expo in October 2018, is planning to launch as many as 1,000 apps at one go on the inaugural, seeking a Guinness World Record.

The apps will provide a variety of services to the Indian mobile users, covering about 20 focus areas, including digital inclusion, skill development, education, agri-tech, disaster management, apps for the Telecom Department.

The IMC is working with Nasscom, IIM-Ahmedabad, Startup India, incubators, investors, educational institutions, banking and telecom sectors to support its engagement with start-ups.

An official of the Guinness Book of World Records will be present to witness the launch of 1,000 apps at the three-day event, beginning October 25.

The IMC, promoted by the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), has announced a challenge for start-ups to develop apps in various sectors.

Beginning this month, the challenge will be open for four months. “The developer teams can register on the relevant platform hosted on the IMC site. We will pick 50 apps each in the 20 focus areas,” Ramakrishna P, Chief Executive Officer of IMC, told Business Line.

The last date for submitting entries is August 31.

The IMC is being promoted on the lines of Barcelona’s World Mobile Congress as a one-stop-shop expo destination for the mobile industry in India and South Asia.

He said “Telecom sector is now increasingly market focussed and consumer-centric. It is actively seeking newer technologies and service delivery options that start-ups are developing”.

Besides winning cash prizes and opportunity to pitch their ideas to investors, the start-ups will get a global visibility for the products.

The theme for the three-day conference, which will be held at the Aero City in New Delhi, is ‘New Digital Horizons — Connect, Create and Innovate.

“There will be 26 parallel sessions with 150 speakers talking on the future of networks, Internet of Things, Augmented and Virtual Reality and new kinds of content that might be required,” he said.

Ramakrishna added that “We are expecting 5,000 delegates, including top executives of IT and telecom companies. We expect over one lakh turning up at the event”.