India Mobile Congress Kicks Off in Delhi: Telangana Government Pushes for Telecom Manufacturing Growth

New Delhi: The India Mobile Congress commenced yesterday in the capital, gathering national and international telecom companies alongside public representatives from approximately 33 countries and various multinational organizations. The conference was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is set to extend over three days.

In a significant development, the Telangana State Government convened a meeting yesterday with representatives from numerous telecom companies, including a session with Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia. The discussions focused on empowering states to formulate their own telecom manufacturing policies, with Telangana announcing the establishment of its dedicated Telecom Manufacturing Policy.

"The Telangana government is committed to a proactive approach regarding its manufacturing policy. We aim to attract numerous telecom manufacturers to our state," a government spokesperson stated. A program to facilitate this initiative is expected to be unveiled soon.

Additionally, a special meeting of IT Ministers was held, led by Ministers Jyoti Radhika Singh and Pemmasani Chandrasekhar. During this gathering, updates concerning the ongoing optical fiber network project were provided. Government representatives elaborated on their efforts to extend network facilities to every household in rural areas—a program initiated in 2013 and supported by the Central Government's BharatNet initiative, launched in 2014.

The Telangana state government has allocated ₹3,000 crore for installing an underground fiber network, a unique feature of the state. However, officials cautioned that further funding, exceeding ₹1,600 crore, is necessary to complete the network. The Telangana government has requested prompt allocation of these funds from the Central Government.

In previous communications, the Chief Minister had raised concerns regarding the need for permission from the forest department for fiber network installations within forested areas. Solutions regarding these permissions were discussed, and the Union Minister assured that the Central Government would review the requests made by Telangana.

Highlighting the favorable business environment in Telangana for the promotion of industries, the government extended an invitation to telecom companies to partner in the state’s development efforts. The Telangana government has recently entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a telecom manufacturing company, Sterlite, further underscoring its commitment to bolstering the telecom manufacturing sector in the region.