“We are working to make sure that the entire population of feature phones is converted into smartphones. Not only change the country from that end but also ensure that the app ecosystem and fundamental software are differentiated. It is a very profound thought process which is going on right now as we speak,” Rai said.
He was speaking at a webinar organised by India Cellular and Electronics Association to release a report on the role of smartphones in governance.
Rai said that his comments are on the behalf of industry players who are working on the plan.
During the webinar, Electronics and IT Secretary Ajay Prakash Sawhney asked mobile phone manufacturers to focus on software that are used in mobile phones.
He said that the country should start working on the software part also that goes into smartphones.
“Equal amount of challenge is from what goes into mobile phones in terms of operating systems, apps that we use day in and day out. We have the ability to create new application, tackle any kind of technology today in India,” Sawhney said.
He asked industry players to look at development softwares with Indian DNA in it.
In an apparent reference to lockdown, Sawhney said that it was mobile phone that helped everyone to navigate through the tense period.
“It was lifesaver. When everything was taken away, we turned to our mobile phones, laptops, desktops,” Sawhney said.
Sawhney released the report which said that India is riding the wave of digitisation, with the delivery of services to citizens rapidly shifting to digital platforms with more than 300 government applications facilitating essential citizen services.
“With over 450 million smartphone users in India, mobile devices have played a significant role in India’s socio-economic development.
The affordability of mobile devices driven by open operating systems and low mobile data rates have led to widespread adoption and use of digital governance services in India,” the report said.
The ICEA-KPMG report cited data from third parties which project smartphone user base to double to 829 million in 2022, accounting for 60 per cent of the population.