COAI has named its new leadership for 2026-27. Bharti Airtel's Group Chief Regulatory Officer Rahul Vatts will serve as Chairperson, while Reliance Jio Infocomm's Chief Regulatory Officer Dr Ravi P Gandhi will be the Vice-Chairperson.
The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) on Thursday announced a new leadership team for 2026-27, appointing Bharti Airtel's Group Chief Regulatory Officer Rahul Vatts as Chairperson and Reliance Jio Infocomm's Chief Regulatory Officer Dr Ravi P Gandhi as Vice-Chairperson.
The appointments were announced during COAI's Annual General Body Meeting for the financial year 2025-26, where members reviewed developments in the telecom sector and discussed priorities for strengthening India's digital communications ecosystem.
"The COAI leadership for 2026-27 was also announced at the meeting. Rahul Vatts, Group Chief Regulatory Officer and Director, Corporate Affairs, Bharti Airtel Limited, will serve as Chairperson of COAI, while Dr Ravi P Gandhi, Chief Regulatory Officer, Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd., will serve as Vice-Chairperson," the industry body said.
'Critical Stage of Transformation'
Commenting on the development, COAI Director General Lt Gen Dr SP Kochhar said India's telecom sector is entering a critical phase as digital infrastructure becomes increasingly important for the country's economic growth.
"India's telecom sector is at a critical stage of transformation, with digital communications infrastructure increasingly serving as the foundation of the country's digital economy," Kochhar said.
Highlighting the sector's future growth drivers, he added, "As technologies such as AI, 5G Advanced, satellite communications and future 6G systems evolve, the sector will play an even greater role in enabling innovation, inclusion and economic growth."
Kochhar said COAI would continue working with policymakers and industry stakeholders to support the sector's development.
"COAI welcomes and congratulates the new leadership and believes that we will continue to work closely with the Government, regulators and industry stakeholders to support trusted communications, investment-friendly policy frameworks and secure, resilient and future-ready digital infrastructure," he said.
Experienced Leaders at the Helm
According to COAI, Vatts brings nearly three decades of experience in telecom and broadcasting licensing, economic regulation, spectrum management and regulatory litigation. He currently leads Bharti Airtel's government relations, policy and regulatory engagements across mobility, broadband, DTH, data centres, submarine cables and digital businesses.
Dr Gandhi has more than three decades of experience in telecom regulation, public policy and network operations. He has previously served as Chief Regulatory Officer at Bharti Airtel and has also held key positions in the Department of Telecommunications as an officer of the Indian Telecom Services.
Supporting India's Digital Ambition
COAI reiterated its commitment to "constructive policy engagement and collaborative industry efforts" to support India's ambition of building a globally competitive digital economy backed by a robust communications infrastructure.
COAI represents leading telecom service providers and telecom equipment vendors in India and works with the government, regulators and industry stakeholders on issues related to the growth of the country's telecom and broadband sector.
(ANI)
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