Telecommunications is one of the fastest growing sectors across the globe. Telecom Equipment and Services Promotion Council (TEPC) has been actively working to promote India’s exports from this sector. In an exclusive interaction with The Dollar Business, Rakesh Kumar Bhatnagar, Director General, TEPC, talks about the issues plaguing the sector and the outlook for the future.
TDB: Does India have the required ecosystem for manufacturing telecom equipment and parts?
Rakesh Kumar Bhatnagar (RKB): Today, most of the value-addition in telecom equipment comes from design and R&D, which we have aplenty. We also have large and well-equipped electronics manufacturing services (EMS) companies to do the back-end assembly. Components are also available for products such as mechanicals, PCBs, etc. We have the ecosystem to create world-class products. What is missing though is the nurturing that is required to take a leap. India is better placed than ever before to play a big role in the global telecom equipment landscape. Software-defined networking is the next frontier.
TDB: What are the immediate priorities of TEPC?
RKB: Our immediate priority would be to ensure that a quantum jump takes place within the next 12 months as far as telecom exports are concerned. Consortium-based approach with the support of government credit lines alongside incentives and changes in duty structure can facilitate our exports growth. With improvement in standards and focus on R&D, we will soon see higher levels of growth in the industry.
TDB: Major Indian telecom service providers import most of their mobile networking equipment. How can we reverse the trend?
This story is from the February 2017 edition of The Dollar Business.
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This story is from the February 2017 edition of The Dollar Business.
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