Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses during the inauguration of the 8th ITU's telecom standard meet in New Delhi, Tuesday, October 15, 2024. (Image: PTI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday India has become a smartphone manufacturing hub, with the world now viewing the country as a “mobile exporter.”
During his inaugural speech at the 8th edition of the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2024 in New Delhi, PM Modi said, “In 2014, there were only two mobile manufacturing units, and today that number has grown to over 200. Previously, we imported more mobile phones, but now we manufacture six times more phones within the country.”
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PM Modi recalled that a decade ago, he laid out the vision of a digital-first India, aiming to lower the cost of phones — a goal achievable only if they were manufactured domestically.
Over the past 10 years since the launch of “Make in India,” the Centre has introduced various support measures, including the Production Linked Incentive Scheme and a range of tariff incentives, to help local and foreign businesses establish a presence in India and diversify away from China amid rising geopolitical risks.
India has shown signs of emerging as a promising location for smartphone manufacturing. Currently, 14 per cent of iPhones are made in India, making the country the largest producer of smartphones outside of China. Apple plans to increase this share to 24 to 25 per cent between 2027 and 2028. Google, another tech giant, is also manufacturing its high-end Pixel smartphones in the country. Nearly every major smartphone maker makes its phones in India.
“We now aim to provide the world with a fully Made-in-India phone, from the chip to the finished product. We are making significant investments to create a semiconductor ecosystem,” he said.
Experts say India presents a unique proposition as a country of 1.4 billion people with the potential to succeed in manufacturing high-tech products, such as smartphones. The government aims to develop its supply chain, replicating China’s approach to becoming the world’s factory. India’s experiment to position itself as a manufacturing hub, at least for mobile phones, has succeeded. However, the country has also big ambitions to become a semiconductor powerhouse.
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Currently, India’s semiconductor manufacturing industry is still in a very nascent stage. Taiwan is currently the world’s largest chipmaker, holding approximately 44 per cent of global market share, followed by China, South Korea, the US (6 per cent), and Japan, according to data from Taiwanese consultancy Trendforce.
Prime Minister Modi has set a goal to boost the country’s semiconductor sector, targeting an increase in the electronics sector from $155 billion today to $500 billion by 2030. However, analysts believe that India may not have the expertise to build semiconductor products independently and should instead collaborate with the US on developing its semiconductor industry.
Anuj Bhatia is a personal technology writer at indianexpress.com who has been covering smartphones, personal computers, gaming, apps, and lifestyle tech actively since 2011. He specialises in writing longer-form feature articles and explainers on trending tech topics. His unique interests encompass delving into vintage tech, retro gaming and composing in-depth narratives on the intersection of history, technology, and popular culture. He covers major international tech conferences and product launches from the world's biggest and most valuable tech brands including Apple, Google and others. At the same time, he also extensively covers indie, home-grown tech startups. Prior to joining The Indian Express in late 2016, he served as a senior tech writer at My Mobile magazine and previously held roles as a reviewer and tech writer at Gizbot. Anuj holds a postgraduate degree from Banaras Hindu University. You can find Anuj on Linkedin.
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