India Will Have Home-Grown Smartphone Brands in 18 Months, Says Ashwini Vaishnaw: Report

India's Minister of Electronics and Information Technology (IT), Ashwini Vaishnaw, reportedly issued a major statement of intent at the sidelines of the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos. As per the report, the Union Minister said that the country is in a prime position to create Indian smartphone brands that can compete with global leaders. Vaishnaw reportedly highlighted that the country has a substantial electronics ecosystem, with all the required components already being manufactured locally. The statement comes at a time when India is heavily investing in its semiconductor and chip fabrication industries.

India to Reportedly Bring Indian Smartphone Brands in 18 Months

According to a Times of India report, Vaishnaw said last week, “We have a very substantial electronics ecosystem in our country, this is the time when we will be going for getting our own Indian brands in mobile phones. We have done all the homework that is required to be done.”

The Union IT Minister reportedly also highlighted that during the event, he held multiple meetings with the electronics ecosystem players and stakeholders, which manufactures the “thousands of things that are required to go into a mobile phone.” Vaishnaw also gave a timeline for when India can see the first local smartphone brands popping up. As per the report, the first brands could be launched within the next 12 to 18 months.

While the comments shed light on India's ambitions, they also create some confusion. Brands, such as Lava and AI+, are home-grown and have been operational for quite some time. Lava also caters to an international user base. But these companies are not government-run, or design and manufacture their own chipsets. But it is unclear if Vaishnaw was referring to any of these factors.

If it is about locally fabricated chipsets, this will tie in with the new chip manufacturing facilities launched in Noida in 2025, which will be designing 3nm chipsets. Vaishnaw also shared in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) that ASML, a Dutch semiconductor company and the world's sole supplier of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines, has expressed strong interest in partnering with India. He also highlighted that India's chip fabrication in Dholera, Gujarat, will use ASML equipment.