Almost all phones used in country are made in India: Vaishnaw

About 99% of mobile phones used in India are made in India and the mobile manufacturing market has surpassed $44 billion in value, the electronics and IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Monday. 

This is a significant transformation from a decade ago when 98% of mobile phones used in India were imported, the minister said. 

“That is the success of the ‘Make In India’ program of Prime Minister Modi,” he added.

Hitting out at opposition leaders, Vaishnaw said, “There are some very famous people who want to criticize the growth of the mobile phone industry in the country. They forget the employment in the mobile phone industry, they forget that 250,000 employees are directly employed in the mobile phone industry, they forget that every passing day, the country’s growth in the value chain is increasing. There are some big leaders in the Opposition who still believe that mobile phones are imported.”

Vaishnaw said that now various phone parts are also manufactured locally, India has the potential to have an export-led growth in the electronics sector.

“We have reached in the last 9.5 years a level where we can have export-led growth in electronics and products. Every employee of this complex industry has contributed,” the minister said.

According to the industry body India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA), mobile phone exports from India almost doubled to $5.5 billion (₹45,700 crore) till August this financial year. Mobile phone exports from India between April and August 2023 were around $3 billion (₹24,850 crore). 

More than half of the mobile phone exports included Apple iPhones. According to a Business Standard report, Apple exported iPhones worth $5 billion in seven months from April-October. 

Mobile phone exports from India doubled to surpass $10.8 billion (₹90,000 crore) in the financial year 2022-23, from $5.2 billion (₹45,000 crore) in FY22. 

The government expects an export of $12 billion this year. 

The Economic Times reported earlier this year that the government has set the target of achieving $300 billion worth of electronics manufacturing by 2025-26, with $120 billion expected to come from exports. Nearly $50 billion is expected to come from the exports of mobile phones alone. 

With iPhone maker Foxconn planning an expansion in India, the government hopes that the export of Apple devices will rise further. Foxconn has announced an investment of $1.6 billion (₹13,300 crore) to expand its presence in India. Foxconn already operates an iPhone manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu and manufactures Apple smartphones including its latest iPhone 15.