India Moving Towards Indigenous Products, Design, Technology and IP: PM Modi

Addressing the 10th edition of the India Mobile Congress (IMC), Modi said India has moved beyond being merely a consumer of technology and is increasingly emerging as a creator and innovator.

He said the transformation in the telecom sector is being driven by a combination of policy reforms, domestic manufacturing, technological advancement and the creation of intellectual property.

The Prime Minister said the government is modernising decades-old laws, introducing incentives and undertaking regulatory reforms to strengthen India's position across the entire telecom value chain.

"India is marching towards the goal, where the product and design will be made in India, and its technology and IP will also belong to India," Modi said.

He cited the Telecommunications Act and the GatiShakti portal as examples of reforms intended to create a more supportive environment for the sector. According to Modi, the country's "reform express" in telecom is moving rapidly as India works towards greater technological self-reliance.

The Prime Minister also highlighted progress in semiconductor manufacturing, saying commercial production has begun at five locations. He said the next phase of the India Semiconductor Mission will focus on localising the entire semiconductor supply chain, further strengthening the country's domestic technology ecosystem.

"In the last 10-12 years, the mobile phone has emerged as a vital tool of good governance, serving as the absolute core of the Digital India vision," Modi said.

He also pointed to the rapid expansion of India's telecom infrastructure over the past decade. Recalling the launch of 5G at the India Mobile Congress in 2022, he said 5G networks have since expanded to more than 5.5 lakh base stations and reached every district in the country. Internet speeds, he added, have increased tenfold during this period.