Indian government is working on policy to develop its own Android and iOS alternatives

The Indian government is reportedly planning to formulate a policy to encourage the development of a domestically produced mobile operating system to replace Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS. The news comes from a PTI interview with Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Electronics and IT.

Homegrown Android and iOS Alternative Products Policy

According to the report, the policy is being considered due to the dominance of Android and iOS in the smartphone industry. “There’s no third person. So there’s a lot of interest in MeitY and the Indian government, in many ways, in developing a new mobile phone operating system. We’re talking to people. We We are considering policies for this,” Chandrasekhar told PTI .

The report states that the government is exploring options within the startup and academic ecosystems for developing indigenous mobile operating systems. Furthermore, the Minister said that most policies and policy instruments are being reconsidered in the context of reconsidering goals and ambitions.

“If we have real capabilities, we will be very interested in developing that area because it will create an alternative to iOS and Android and allow Indian brands to grow,” he added. .

Notably, this comes after Union Minister and Minister for Communications and IT, Ashwini Vaishnau, released the second volume of the vision document on expansion and deepening of electronics manufacturing. It lays out a roadmap to achieve $300 billion worth of electronics manufacturing in India by 2026, as against the current $75 billion in electronics manufacturing in India . If you’re interested, check out the documentation here .