The government of India understands that there is a large void in the choices of operating systems for handsets across the globe. It now plans to have a presence in the field and facilitate the academic and start-up ecosystem of the country with the means for the same.

The government of India is planning to have an operating system for handsets that is completely made in India. The indigenous operating system will serve as an alternative to Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS, the two dominant forces in otherwise largely unexplored space. The government may also turn to the academic and start-up ecosystem of India for the same.

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Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT, revealed his interest in a recent interview. According to Chandrasekhar, the government is working to develop a policy that will help create the environment necessary for the sector to develop such an operating system. To find a solution, he cited “tremendous interest in MeitY and in the Government of India.”

The minister stated that “there is no third one” and that if “any actual capability” is discovered within the nation’s ecosystem, the government “will be very much interested in growing that area.” He also noted the dominance of Android and iOS and their associated influence over hardware. “We are conversing with others. We are considering a policy in that regard “said Chandrasekhar.

Although the government’s objective is well-founded, there have already been numerous attempts to create a new operating system. In fact, we have witnessed the end of the line for well-established operating systems like BlackBerry OS and Symbian as well as the constant cancellation of new initiatives by the two behemoths. Thus, developing a new OS and making it functional call for a complex strategy that includes hardware as well. Simply said, for it to succeed, key handset manufacturers must accept it.

The Prime Minister’s major objective for the Ministry of Electronics and IT extends out to the objective of creating a new operating system entirely in India (MeitY). The prime minister, according to Chandrasekhar, wants to create indigenous champions in each of the top product categories.

By 2026, the government hopes to increase India’s electronics manufacturing to a $300 billion industry (about Rs 22.5 lakh crore). The objective was outlined in the second volume of the Vision Document, which was recently published by the industry group ICEA. India’s electronics industry currently generates $75 billion (about Rs 5 lakh crore).

India Planning Homegrown Operating System

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has indicated that the Indian government intends to encourage the development of an “indigenous” mobile operating system to compete with iOS and Android.

The plan, which was unveiled on Monday by Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar, will incentivize the development of an indigenous Indian mobile OS by the IT sector. In India, the new OS is specifically designed to “provide an alternative to iOS and Android.” The government is hoping that the new platform would replicate how iOS and Android promote the development of hardware ecosystems, allowing an Indian brand room to expand. This was pointed out by Chandrasekhar. The Indian government is currently seeking academic institutions and businesses that are qualified to create a new operating system. Clear objectives for the project are the current subject of extensive talks, which will be followed by legislation that focuses on particular development objectives. Chandrasekhar made a suggestion that startups and businesses using an Indian operating system might attract both domestic and foreign investment when seeking funding.

Following the launch of Apple’s online store in India in 2020, the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 were believed to be the bestselling smartphones in India. Mass production of the iPhone 13 in India is set to start next month and the country’s first retail store is also on the way.

The initiative supports Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s goals to develop indigenous leaders in a variety of industries and product categories and to advance the nation’s technology sector. The Indian government has set a blueprint to increase electronics production in the nation from $75 billion to $300 billion by 2026. In addition, the nation wants to increase its current $15 billion exports of electronics to $120 billion.

Although Android smartphones continue to present Apple with stiff competition in the country, India is becoming a more significant market for Apple. Up to 70% of all iPhones sold in the nation are created in India, where Apple has progressively boosted the production of its products.