New Delhi, Dec 10 : Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh will inaugurate the India Telecom 2008, in New Delhi tomorrow.

Jointly organized by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the FICCI, the two-day event marks India''s leading international conference and exhibition for the entire telecom system. The theme of India Telecom 2008 is "Connecting Rural India".

Dr. Singh will also launch the country''s first 3G services on the occasion. The Service will enable transfer of high-speed data, video streaming on mobile phones.

The public sector MTNL is rolling out the 3G service in the capital making use of the necessary spectrum allocated to it by DoT.

India telecom 2008 will have participation from policy makers, regulators, service providers, manufacturers, investors and content providers in the sector.

The India telecom series was started in 2006 by DoT in association with various stakeholders with an aim to showcase the strength of Indian telecom sector and also provide an effective platform for networking opportunities.

The last two events have provided a gateway to telecom companies setting up their manufacturing base in India.

The 2007 show had 170 participations from 22 countries while over 14000 visitors from the industry, government and related associations attended the event. Indian telecom industry is on an upswing and presents a huge opportunity for both Indian and global operators to tap within the existing market.

India telecom 2008 would be an ideal platform for telecom professionals to exchange notes and seek business opportunities.

India is all set to surpass the target of 500 million connections well before 2010. The government is working making all efforts to correct the rural-urban imbalance by shifting focus to small towns and rural areas. (ANI)