C-DoT’s Rajkumar Upadhyay at IMC 2021 Day 3

India should incentivise individuals filing patents as research and development (R&D) remains critical, and the state-run Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT) would open up its facility for domestic players to undertake such activities for free of any cost.

“Most of the patents come from the US, China and Korea. I think we should give one incentive to the people who are filing patents and making these patents as standards. Look at 6G, 40% of the patents have been filed by China, where some are from Japan, US, and Europe. R&D definitely is very important, and the government is looking at it,” Rajkumar Upadhyay, Executive Director and Chairman, C-DoT said at India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2021.

Upadhyay further said that the state-run firm is open to support the local industry players, and allow them to undertake R&D for free of cost in order to support the Indian ecosystem.

C-DoT, according to him, is making efforts to build a completely indigenous 4G core, and the local 4G solution is developed in collaboration with Tata and Tejas Networks.

The government, according to him, is yet to roll out a scheme for semiconductor manufacturing. “Due to semiconductor shortage R&D is also getting delayed. Government is aware of it and working in this area.”

Swedish telecom gear maker Ericsson believes that large-scale manufacturing is possible in India, and can be made competitive.

“I think we have also demonstrated that you can do large-scale manufacturing in India, it can be made competitive, it is viable, and you can supply,” Subrata Mitra, Vice President and Head of Government and Industry Relations, Ericsson said, adding that PLI scheme is an extremely forward-looking scheme, and has received a very positive response from the industry.

Mitra noted that more than 90% of radios that Ericsson supplies to Indian telecom operators are manufactured at its Pune facility by its partner, Jabil.

“What the government needs to do is to have the targeted incentive for components, have a longer term horizon for scaling up this component ecosystem, and bring up champions in the component making sector,” said Saurabh Singh, Head – Government Affairs, Nokia.

Early this year, the government has approved the investment proposals of 31 companies amounting to Rs 3,345 crore over the next 4 years, under the PLI scheme for telecom equipment manufacturing. Mac Pro Tricks