Mobile exports are going to be the next big thing in India. Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said exports of mobile phones are expected to exceed USD 10 billion in the current financial year.
The government launched Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes in various sectors as part of the AtmaNirbhar plan to make Indian manufacturers globally competitive, attract investments, enhance exports, integrate India into the global supply chain, and reduce dependency on imports. The minister further said Apple alone has provided one lakh fresh jobs in India in one and a half years.
He claimed that the telecom industry in the country has become investment-oriented and an employment generator. "All the component systems are in India. In the coming years...will see electronic manufacturing, and telecom manufacturing growing exponentially. 10 years ago, most components needed for mobile phone manufacturing were imported, and now 99 percent of components are indigenous." He further said that this is a very big change.
He called the telecom the sunrise sector. "The industry achieved the phase one target of 5G rollouts much before the set deadline of March 31. As of today, India has covered 387 districts with 5G coverage. 1 lakh base transceiver stations (BTSs) have been installed."
According to the India Cellular and Electronics Association, mobile device manufacturers and their suppliers have created around two million jobs in seven years.