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BUSINESS & TRADE OCTOBER 17, 2025 | The Indian Eye 36

India’s Next Leap:

From Factory Floor to Tech Frontier

As India aims for a $2 trillion export economy by 2030, its future growth story is being rewritten around high-value
manufacturing and semiconductor design — a transformation from a services powerhouse to a global technology hub

OUR BUREAU ambitions as both bold and strategic.
Ashutosh Dutta, Chief 5G Strate-
Mumbai / New Delhi
gist at Johns Hopkins University Ap-
ndia’s growth trajectory is enter- plied Physics Laboratory, highlighted
ing a decisive and transformative ubiquitous connectivity as the core
Iphase. With exports projected to of 6G innovation. “When cell tow-
cross USD 2 trillion by 2030, policy- ers or Wi-Fi are unavailable, satellite
makers and industry leaders are con- integration will fill the gap,” he said,
verging on a single insight: the coun- stressing the importance of combin-
try’s economic future depends on how ing non-terrestrial and terrestrial net-
fast it can pivot toward technology-in- works. Dutta called for the creation of
tensive, high-value manufacturing prototypes, testbeds, and simulations
and digital innovation. through partnerships among telecom
A recent report by Forvis Mazars operators, academia, and startups —
India underscores this shift, warning all aimed at building secure, AI-en-
that reliance on low-value exports abled communication systems.
and global demand cycles could ex- Professor Harald Haas, known as
pose India’s economy to external the “Father of Li-Fi,” said light-based
shocks. “Export growth cannot rely wireless communication could help
on GDP expansion alone,” said Rohit India extend broadband access to
Chaturvedi, Partner for Transport and rural regions where fiber is too cost-
Logistics at Forvis Mazars. He em- ly. “Li-Fi can complement 5G and 6G
phasized the need for targeted incen- networks and even use solar panels as
tives to strengthen India’s position in receivers — harnessing both sunlight
advanced global value chains (GVCs), and data together,” he explained.
adding that capital formation and lo- Japan’s National Institute of
gistics infrastructure will be crucial in Information and Communication
achieving sustained progress. Technology (NICT) also sees India
Over the past two decades, In- as a rising technology partner. Exec-
dia’s export profile has undergone Union Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya M. Scindia speaks at the International 6G Sym- utive Iwao Hosako said Japan is eager
a structural evolution. Sectors such posium at the India Mobile Congress (IMC 2025) in New Delhi (@JM_ScindiaX/ANI Photo) to deepen collaboration with India
as engineering goods, electronics, across industries and governments.
pharmaceuticals, gems and jewel- ations already command a 47% mar- er continues to be a constraint,” he “India is a big power in communi-
er, and chemicals now account for ket share in smartphones, along with noted, calling for greater collabora- cations and software development.
nearly 70% of total merchandise ex- leadership in smart TVs, routers, and tion between academia, industry, and Many talented Indian engineers al-
ports. Electronics, in particular, have Chromebooks. Anku Jain, Managing government to develop next-genera- ready work with us, and we see tre-
emerged as a breakout performer, Director of MediaTek India, said the tion technical expertise. MediaTek’s mendous potential to take this coop-
growing fivefold to USD 38.5 billion country’s semiconductor ecosystem ongoing work in satellite communi- eration further.”
between FY18 and FY25. Tradition- is rapidly maturing, driven by the cation chipsets — particularly for IoT- Together, these developments
al sectors like textiles have ceded government’s Production Linked In- NTN and NR-NTN — reflects the ex- — from export diversification and
ground to knowledge- and technolo- centive (PLI) schemes and a surge in panding scope of innovation in India’s semiconductor design to 6G and Li-
gy-driven industries, signaling India’s private investment. tech landscape. Fi — reveal a clear trajectory: India is
gradual ascent up the manufacturing “In the last two to three years, “Although MediaTek is a fabless moving beyond its traditional image
value chain. the momentum has really picked up. company, it’s encouraging to see the as a back-office economy toward be-
But technology transformation is We’re now looking at a 10–20-year manufacturing ecosystem developing coming a frontline innovator in global
not confined to exports alone — it’s roadmap for India’s semiconductor in India,” Jain added, emphasizing the technology and manufacturing.
reshaping India’s entire industrial future,” Jain said. He pointed out company’s bullish outlook on the In- As the Forvis Mazars report
ecosystem. Semiconductor design that ten new semiconductor products dian market as a global growth engine. suggests, India’s ambition to reach
and innovation, once peripheral to have already been announced under Meanwhile, India is preparing a USD 1 trillion merchandise export
India’s tech narrative, are now central the PLI initiative — a signal that In- for the next wave of connectivity — target by 2030 will not hinge solely on
pillars of its manufacturing ambitions. dia’s design and fabrication capabili- the transition from 5G to 6G — that volume, but on value — powered by
At the forefront of this shift is ties are beginning to find commercial could define the next decade of digital innovation, integration, and industrial
MediaTek, the Taiwan-based semi- expression. and industrial transformation. On the depth. The next decade, it seems, will
conductor giant with a strong base Jain acknowledged, however, that sidelines of the India Mobile Congress not just be about India’s rise — it will
in India. The company’s India oper- challenges remain. “Skilled manpow- 2025, experts described India’s 6G be about how India builds the future.

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