Sector Snapshot · Telecom - Equipment & Accessories

India Becomes the World's Third-Largest Mobile Phone Exporter

A fast-read primer on India's telecom equipment and accessories sector — the backdrop against which we benchmark every company's cost structure in this category.

US$20.5 bn

Mobile phone exports, CY24 (world's 3rd-largest exporter)

Rs 1,950 cr

PLI scheme allocation for telecom & networking, FY27

Rs 2.4 lakh cr

Incremental production potential from PLI scheme

5.23 lakh

5G Base Transceiver Stations installed, Feb 2026

100%

FDI allowed via automatic route

Subscriber Base and Manufacturing Scale Both Keep Growing

The subscriber base continues to expand while the PLI scheme drives a growing manufacturing and export opportunity.

Total Telephone Subscribers (million)

Jan 2026 → Feb 2026

1,314.00mn

Jan 2026

1,321.31mn

Feb 2026

PLI Scheme Impact (Rs lakh crore)

Incremental production vs. export potential

Rs2.4L cr

Production Potential

Rs2.0L cr

Export Potential

What's Pushing the Sector Forward

Export strength, manufacturing scale-up, and strong policy support define this category.

Export Strength

3rd-largest mobile phone exporter globally, $20.5bn in CY24

Manufacturing Scale-Up

PLI scheme for telecom & networking products driving domestic production

Policy Support

100% FDI under the automatic route
DoT allocated Rs73,990cr for FY27

Recent Developments

A sample of the industry-wide and policy moves shaping the sector through early 2026.

→ India emerged as the world's third-largest mobile phone exporter, with CY24 shipments worth Rs1,75,665 crore ($20.5bn).
→ The PLI scheme for telecom and networking products aims to generate ~Rs2.4 lakh crore in incremental production and ~Rs2 lakh crore in exports over five years.
→ Approximately 5.23 lakh 5G Base Transceiver Stations have been installed as of February 2026.
→ ITSAR certification for ONT devices has been streamlined, cutting testing requirements by up to 10x.
→ The Telecom Technology Development Fund has approved 104 projects worth Rs271 crore for 6G R&D.
→ FDI inflow in telecom reached Rs2,42,038 crore between April 2000 and December 2025.

Companies We Benchmark in This Sector

Listed Indian Telecom - Equipment & Accessories companies in tDoBe's cost-benchmarking coverage.

Sterlite Technologies

ITI

Tejas Networks

Optiemus Infracom

Valiant Communications

ADC India Communications

Birla Cable

Frog Innovations

Umiya Buildcon

Aksh Optifibre

Telogica

Punjab Communications

Clenon Enterprises

T N Telecommunications

See How These Companies Compare on Cost

The numbers above set the stage. Our Report translates it into a company-by-company cost benchmark — down to the category — so you can see exactly where a business sits against its peers.

Explore the Telecom - Equipment & Accessories Report