Ericsson bets on localisation in India
Swedish telecommunications equipment supplier Ericsson is actively collaborating with the Indian government to encourage its component suppliers to set up manufacturing plants in India. The company's CEO, Andres Vicente, stated that Ericsson has evaluated all the components it requires and is actively reaching out to other suppliers to analyze how to localise production in India.
Vicente emphasized that the decision to localise ultimately rests with the suppliers, but Ericsson is open to supporting them in this endeavor. The company views India not only as a market but also as a manufacturing hub, and plans to both produce and export from India. Ericsson is currently working with VVDN Technologies, a Gurugram-based firm, to manufacture antennas for export to markets such as Europe.
These antennas are the latest generation, capable of advanced AI, and have already been exported to Europe. Ericsson is also expanding its design capabilities in India, with over 200 professionals working on ASIC (application-specific integrated circuits) design in Bangalore. The company spends more than 20% of its revenue on research and development, with a significant portion deployed in the Indian market.
Vicente highlighted Ericsson's loyalty to Vodafone Idea, the Indian telecom operator, even as the company faces financial challenges, stating that a recent settlement on spectrum fees provides a predictable funding scenario. Ericsson, which supplies equipment for terrestrial networks, does not view satellite communications as a threat but rather as a complementary technology to extend connectivity to remote areas.
The company is developing standards for telecom radios that will make satellites compatible with handsets and other devices.
Written by urgent.news from The Economic Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
