The company has already started providing locally manufactured devices to customers
Telco giant Bharti Airtel has partnered with Skyworth Electronics to manufacture set-top boxes (STBs) for its DTH service in Noida. It comes as Airtel looks to discontinue the import of STBs by the end of the year.
As per a report by the Economic Times, Airtel Digital TV has stopped issuing new import orders for STBs but will continue to see some shipments coming in under existing orders, which will end by December. By the end of 2021, the DTH provider will wholly switch to domestically produced STBs.
The move to local manufacturing is in line with the Sunil Mittal-led telecom operator’s strategy to locally source all telecom equipment, networking and STB devices.
“This is a major milestone in Airtel Digital TV’s growth journey and a sign of India’s fast-growing manufacturing capabilities. The Covid-19 induced supply chain disruptions have further accelerated our efforts to make our supply chain more India-reliant,” Sunil Taldar, CEO – DTH, Bharti Airtel, told the publication.
The company has already started providing locally manufactured devices to customers, he said.
Previously, Airtel imported such devices from countries like Vietnam and Thailand. The company did collaborate with MyBox Tech to manufacture non-smart STBs in Pune’s Ranjangaon, but stopped production started importing to ensure better product quality, added the report.
Recently, Tata Sky has also started making set-top boxes in India in partnership with Technicolor Connected Home and Flextronics.
Bharti Enterprises Ltd and Dixon Technologies India recently signed a pact to form a joint venture to manufacture telecom and networking products for the telecom sector.
Dixon Technologies India has filed necessary applications with the communications ministry to avail benefits under the Rs 12,195 crore production-linked incentive scheme of the government.
