New Delhi: Telecom industry body COAI and the British High Commission on Monday signed a pact to strengthen cooperation on Artificial Intelligence, connectivity and digital trust, as well as responsible technology-led innovation.
The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was inked at the CO.AI 2026 event organised by Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), in association with the British High Commission.
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The event brought together senior representatives from government, Trai, telcos, technology companies, and other stakeholders of the digital ecosystem, leading to extensive deliberations over the role of Artificial Intelligence in shaping future-ready digital infrastructure.
CO.AI 2026 focused on three areas: AI for intelligent and autonomous networks, AI for security, trust and digital resilience, and AI for citizens, services and public value.
Discussions also highlighted the growing importance of AI in combating digital fraud, strengthening consumer protection, improving network efficiency, supporting resilient infrastructure and enabling secure digital services at scale.
A key highlight of the MoU signing event was a key step towards strengthening cooperation on Artificial Intelligence, digital connectivity, digital trust and responsible technology-led innovation.
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Speaking at the event, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti noted that while AI creates opportunity, it also requires the right kind of governance approach.
"As the sector evolves, governance must continue to balance several objectives: encouraging investment, promoting competition, enabling innovation, ensuring quality and protecting consumers.
"These objectives are not always identical, but effective regulation must hold them together. International cooperation can add value where the challenges themselves are cross-border," Lahoti said.
India’s next digital transformation will not be defined merely by how many people get connected but by how intelligently, securely, inclusively and responsibly such connections are established.
Ben Mellor, Acting British High Commissioner to India, said governments have a responsibility to ensure innovation progresses alongside security, accountability and resilience, and that's even more essential when criminals are using AI to aid scams.
"But AI is part of the solution too - it can help institutions move from reacting to individual incidents towards recognising patterns of harm early. That is the entire purpose of the UK's engagement today, and why this MoU matters. It starts with a defined public interest problem rather than a broad declaration of intent and gives our partnership with COAI the continuity to keep working together long after today," Mellor said.
COAI Director General SP Kochhar noted that the next phase of connectivity for India must be intelligent, secure, resilient and citizen-centric.
"Telecom networks will not only support AI workloads; they will increasingly become AI-enabled systems capable of optimising performance, strengthening security, improving service quality and protecting consumers from emerging digital risks. The MoU between COAI and the British High Commission reflects the importance of trusted international collaboration in shaping the future of digital connectivity," he said.
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