DoT and COAI hosted two industry engagements in Mumbai to attract investments for India’s proposed Telecom Manufacturing Zone (TMZ) in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.
The Investor Roundtable and Strategic Roundtable for India’s first Telecom Manufacturing Zone were jointly chaired by Union Minister of Communications and Development of North Eastern Region, Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav, and Secretary, Department of Telecommunications, Shri Amit Agrawal.
Moreover, the meetings marked a significant milestone in advancing India’s first integrated Telecom Manufacturing Zone (TMZ), reinforcing the Government’s vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat while positioning India as a global telecom manufacturing and innovation hub.
₹5,500 Crore Investment Commitments and Over 18,000 Jobs
The Investor Roundtable brought together leading telecom and technology companies, including Qualcomm, NTT DATA, and Reliance Jio, to discuss investments, domestic manufacturing, exports, and strengthening India’s telecom ecosystem.
Following the Mumbai roundtable, participating companies committed investments of more than ₹2,000 crore, expected to generate over 4,000 employment opportunities within the proposed Telecom Manufacturing Zone.
Furthermore, combined with commitments made during the first Investor Roundtable held in Delhi—where the industry assured investments of ₹3,500 crore and the creation of 14,000 jobs—the Telecom Manufacturing Zone has now secured investment commitments exceeding ₹5,500 crore, with the potential to generate more than 18,000 employment opportunities.
Scindia Calls for Transition to a Product-Led Economy
Addressing industry leaders, Union Minister Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia emphasised the need for India to move beyond its services-driven economy.
“India must now transition from being a services-led nation to a product-led nation. We must adopt a three-pronged strategy to achieve this transformation: increasing domestic value addition, creating intellectual property in India, and enabling Indian-designed and Indian-manufactured telecom products to reach every corner of the world,” he said.
He noted that the Telecom Manufacturing Zone would play a pivotal role in strengthening India’s position on the global telecom manufacturing map.
Madhya Pradesh Invites Industry Investments
Inviting companies to establish manufacturing facilities in the state, Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav highlighted Madhya Pradesh’s growing industrial ecosystem.
“This important project is a joint step between the Government of Madhya Pradesh and the Union Government in the field of telecommunications. Madhya Pradesh has emerged as the preferred destination for manufacturing industries, and I invite all investors to come and invest in the state,” he said.
TMZ to Drive Domestic Value Addition and Global Supply Chains
Secretary, Department of Telecommunications, Shri Amit Agrawal, described the Telecom Manufacturing Zone as a unique national initiative jointly envisioned by the Union Government and the Government of Madhya Pradesh.
According to him, the project will promote deep value addition driven by intellectual property developed within India, enabling the country to become an integral part of global telecom supply chains while advancing the vision of “Made in India for India and the World.”
Global Technology Leaders Show Interest
The initiative has already attracted strong interest from global industry players.
Eight leading global technology companies—including Qualcomm, Ericsson and Nokia—along with major IT firms such as TCS and Tech Mahindra, have expressed interest in establishing manufacturing facilities, global service support centres and development centres within the Telecom Manufacturing Zone.
Meanwhile, all three private telecom operators—Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea—welcomed the initiative and appreciated the leadership of the Union and Madhya Pradesh governments. They also committed to encouraging their vendor ecosystems to explore opportunities for setting up supply chains and manufacturing units in the Gwalior-based Telecom Manufacturing Zone.
Strategic Roundtable Focuses on India’s Telecom Decade
The second engagement, titled “Capitalising India’s Telecom Decade and Promoting Telecom Manufacturing Zone,” brought together key stakeholders to deliberate on India’s next phase of telecom growth.
Discussions focused on strengthening indigenous manufacturing capabilities, promoting innovation, expanding investment opportunities and creating a globally competitive telecom ecosystem.
During the interaction, Shri Scindia also acknowledged the role of investors in nurturing India’s startup and technology ecosystem and invited industry leaders to participate in the India Mobile Congress 2026, scheduled to be held from 7–10 October 2026 at Yashobhoomi, New Delhi.
170-Acre Integrated Telecom Manufacturing Cluster
The strategic discussions followed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on 30 July 2026 by the Department of Telecommunications and the Government of Madhya Pradesh to establish India’s first integrated Telecom Manufacturing Zone in Gwalior.
The proposed 170-acre plug-and-play industrial cluster will offer world-class infrastructure and an integrated ecosystem for telecom and electronics manufacturing, research and development, innovation, and allied industries.
Stakeholders also explored additional opportunities to expand investment, manufacturing capacity and employment generation within the zone.
Driving India’s Telecom Manufacturing Future
Overall, the strategic engagements reinforced the Government’s vision of transforming India from a global leader in telecom services into a global hub for telecom product manufacturing, innovation, and exports. Furthermore, the discussions marked another significant step towards translating the recently signed Telecom Manufacturing Zone MoU into concrete investments, manufacturing facilities, and large-scale employment generation.
