- Prasad has asked the telecom industry to focus on innovation around 5G technology to create products with India specific patents
- He expressed his desire to see the mobile sector to work in conjunction with start-ups
- The government is coming up with robust data protection legislation and will not compromise on data sovereignty
Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday encouraged the sector to make India a hub for telecom equipment manufacturing. Prasad said that India is on its way to become a global power with the march of technology. PTI reported that Prasad has asked the telecom industry to focus on innovation around 5G technology to create products with India specific patents.
He said that India generates a huge amount of data and has the potential to emerge as a global hub for data analysis, data innovation and data refinery while prioritising privacy.
Recommendation by Trai
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) last year recommended for the formation of a unit within the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to promote the manufacture of domestic telecom equipment.
TRAI recommended the establishment of a Telecom Research and Development Fund (TRDF), with an initial corpus of Rs 1,000 crore. The fund should seek to promote research and innovation for the designing, manufacturing and testing domestic telecom equipment.
Suggestion to the industry
Prasad expressed his desire to see the mobile sector to work in conjunction with start-ups. He asked the industry to come with innovative 5G products in areas like mobile, healthcare, agriculture and other sectors which have the potential to reap its benefit.
Talking about digital data generated in India and gaining importance in the sector, Prasad said the government is coming up with robust data protection legislation and will not compromise on data sovereignty.
