Indian smartphone companies Micromax, Karbonn, and Celkon will start manufacturing smartphones in Andhra Pradesh. The three companies have signed an MoU with the Andhra Pradesh government and will manufacture phones in Tirupati.
The Andhra Pradesh government says it wants to manufacture about six to seven million units per month, in the state, by next year. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu described the agreement as the first step in making the state an electronics manufacturing hub. He also added that more companies meant more jobs.
Further, it was announced last month that Microsoft was going to partner with the Andhra Pradesh government to offer low-cost Internet in India. Microsoft said that it was going to use its TV White Spaces Technology to provide internet services. This technology makes use of unused TV spectrum to deliver internet connectivity.
Reports have also said that Xiaomi was going to start manufacturing its smartphones in Andhra Pradesh. The phones would be manufactured out of its partner Foxconn’s plant located in Sri City. The Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime is the first smartphone to be manufactured in the country.
A few days ago, Gionee announced that it was partnering with Foxconn and Dixon Technologies to manufacture its smartphones in India. Foxconn was going manufacture Gionee F and P series smartphones through its Sri City manufacturing plant. Dixon Technologies would be manufacturing Gionee’s feature phones and other devices in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
These aren’t the only companies that are a part of the Make in India initiative. Lenovo and Motorola had announced the manufacturing of its smartphones in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. The plant is already manufacturing Moto E units and will be manufacturing the K3 Note soon. Earlier this year, it was reported that Huawei had been given clearance to manufacture phones in India. The company had been approved by the ministry of Home Affairs 19 months after it first applied for the manufacturing license. The company had already set up R&D centers in the country and also has a plant in Chennai where it manufactures devices purely for export.