India’s own smartphone brands could emerge within 12–18 months, says IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw at Davos
Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw says India is nearing a new phase in electronics where homegrown smartphone brands can go global. Speaking at the World Economic Forum 2026, he said the ecosystem for components and manufacturing has matured and the government has completed key groundwork, with Indian brands expected to emerge within 12 to 18 months.
India could see the rise of globally competitive domestic smartphone brands within the next 12 to 18 months, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said while speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2026.
Vaishnaw framed the moment as a transition point for India’s electronics journey: from being primarily a manufacturing base to becoming a country that creates and exports its own end-consumer brands. He said the electronics ecosystem has expanded enough to support such a shift, with deeper capabilities across the many components and subsystems that go into a modern smartphone.
The minister added that the government has completed the “homework” needed to enable this move, and cited recent discussions with a broad range of ecosystem participants who supply the thousands of parts required to assemble devices at scale.
The timeline he outlined suggests that the next year will be decisive for India’s ambitions beyond assembly and contract manufacturing. If domestic brands do emerge as projected, it would change how India is perceived in consumer technology—moving it closer to being a brand-building centre alongside established players in East Asia and the United States.
Vaishnaw’s comments also reflect the policy emphasis on strengthening supply chains, encouraging higher value addition, and aligning industrial capacity with product design and market strategy. For domestic firms, the challenge will be to pair manufacturing depth with software experience, distribution reach, after-sales service, and sustained product differentiation.
At Davos, Vaishnaw also met leading technology executives, signalling that India is continuing to engage global AI and digital leaders even as it pushes for a stronger domestic product ecosystem.