The Telecom Equipment Manufacturer's Association (TEMA) of India has raised concern in a response to the recent report on the 'Indian Telecom Equipment Manufacturing sector'. In a communication to the Honorable Minister of Communication & IT Shri. Kapil Sibal, TEMA has pointed out that the report is an attempt to polarize and paralyze the efforts of Government of India to incentivise the local innovation and manufacturing.
According to TEMA, contrary to the Government of India's thought process, the report seems to conclude that there is not much scope for the Indian Telecom Equipment Manufactures in the current world scenario. According to the Booz & Co report, "India will account for only three percent of the global market by 2020, therefore self-reliance is not a viable tool to drive the globally competitive economies of scale".
"The report of Booz & Co is based on surmise and conjecture completely ignoring the growth potential of the domestic manufacturing in India, to which Government of India is committed. This report in a way takes this great country back to the post industrial revolution and British Raj in India, wherein local industry was systematically eroded in order to promote the British Industries. During that time, few Indian businesses supported export of indigo and cotton and import of cloths spun by factories in Lancashire and import salt from UK", said Ashok K. Aggarwal, Honorary Director General, Telecom Equipment Manufacturers Association (TEMA).
The TEMA communication further suggested that the Government of India should not take into consideration the Booz & Co Report as it is against the national interest.
"The Government should not act at the behest of the foreign equipment manufacturers who are trying to ensure that domestic manufacturing does not take place in this country and we, as a nation, always remain dependent on the virtual cartel of a handful of foreign suppliers in the field of telecommunication which is highly sensitive to fiscal/physical security, strategic and forms part of critical infrastructure of the nation, "added Aggarwal.
