ICEA working on proposal to boost smartphone R&D, design ecosystem in India

Mobile industry body ICEA on Monday said it is working on a proposal that will help create a robust smartphone design, R&D and application ecosystem in India.

Research and development (R&D) and design are key to positioning India as ‘the electronics factory’, ICEA said in a statement.

The India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) said it ‘is in the final stages of sharing a plan with the government to create a strong smartphones design, R and D and application ecosystem in India’.

Citing the launch of the first made-to-order phone, which is upgradable as well, by home-grown mobile device maker Lava, ICEA said as a next step to the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme, the industry body is ‘working on a grand plan for the smartphones’ R&D and design in India’.

‘As a next step to the PLI, government is keen to create and develop technical know-how in India by bringing complete knowledge of hardware designing skills. It is being built to improve hardware design as well as to reduce cost of design,’ the statement said.

The aim is to eventually seek an opportunity to create a chip design and chip manufacturing hub in India.

‘When implemented, it would drive localisation and transform the current manufacturing to absolute knowledge-based manufacturing, thereby achieving India’s ‘Make in India’ mission in the true sense by enabling much higher levels of value addition, within India,’ it said. PTI