India nudges telecom giants to swap foreign gear with local
India is nudging its big telecom players—like Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone Idea—to start using more homegrown equipment instead of relying on foreign brands such as Cisco, Nokia, and Ericsson.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has asked these companies to share how they'll bring more Indian-made tech into their networks.
Telecom companies want local equipment to match global standards
The telecom companies are mostly on board but want local gear to match global standards in price and quality.
They're focusing on using Indian equipment for new projects rather than swapping out what's already installed, so costs don't spike.
This push ties into India's bigger goal of boosting self-reliance and creating more opportunities for local manufacturers—plus it could help strengthen national security down the line.