MoMo Delhi: Saving the mobile from the mobile operators

The mobile operators are doing a commendable job of transforming the rural and urban landscape in India with the cute little mobile phone. It is not uncommon to see Aam Janta( common men ) engaged in animated conversation with their mobile phone. This is a commendable progress, yet is it enough?
IMO, the mobile operators left by themselves will be happy to fight price wars for the time being, gobble each other up, boom and flounder. Like what happens in the US of A.

To make the communication revolution into a truely transformational tool, a lot of useful services are to be built around the mobile phone. This needs inventive and innovational thinking. Not just thinking, entrepreneurial action and success. In short there must be an entrepreneurial ecosystem around the communication infrastructure. The startups in the ecosystem will infuse innovation and make it vibrant and sustainable. Mobile Monday is an initiative to bring together startups, established players, creative minds, venture capitalists, etc to create, explore and exploit this ecosystem.

MoMo Delhi’s structure is similar to the unconference style of BarCamp. Indeed, it is taking place at the very place the BarCamp phenomenon in India kicked off: Adobe office at Noida/Delhi. Most of the organizers are in some way connected/influenced/enriched by the BarCamp experience.

With the heavy BarCamp flavor, it is natural that the MoMo Delhi topics explore the convergence of the Web2.0 and Mobile. There are many interesting talks by cool dudes like Ashhar Farhan of Spokn( a Mobile2.0 telco without telco mindset).

KoolPool a SMS based carpool sharing is going to be demonstrated and talked about in MoMo Delhi. I’m watching it as it will be the touchstone of the spirit of MoMo and its applicability to Indian context.

Aside: I had tough time explaining the alcoholic connotation in the BarCamp, MoMo is bit easy: if someone mixes it up with the Tibetan, Nepalese Samosas I will let it pass.

Cartoon Courtesy Hugh: