India may soon have own mobile OS like Android and iOS, says Union Minister

Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar told the Parliament that the government is planning to create an ecosystem for the development of an alternate operating system for mobile phones, as well as computers.

If you use a smartphone, it could either be using Android or iOS. There is a duopoly between Google and Apple in the smartphone software ecosystem - something, not just other companies, such as Microsoft, but governments of many countries have tried to shake up. To challenge both Google and Apple, the Indian government is now considering developing its own mobile operating system.

Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar told the Parliament that the government is planning to create an ecosystem for the development of an alternate operating system for mobile phones, as well as computers. "The government is considering development of the Operating System, as part of the government's efforts to create a vibrant design and innovation ecosystem in Electronics and Information Technology," Chandrasekhar told PTI.

Although no funds have been allocated yet by the government towards the creation of such an ecosystem, the plans are likely to come through. Chandrasekhar revealed while replying to a question asked by Congress MP Karti P Chidambaram, whether this “Indian” operating system will be available only in India, that there is no policy that limits the export and use of software products made in India in other markets. This could be a hint that the government is planning a wider reach of the said mobile OS.

In India, Android captured 95.84 per cent of the mobile phone operating system market in 2021, while Apple’s iOS had a share of a mere 3.1 per cent, according to data by Statista. Android phones are available in India for as low as Rs 5,000, thanks to brands such as Redmi, Realme, and Samsung, while the latest iPhone model costs around Rs 44,000. The leading operating system in the personal computer segment is Microsoft’s Windows, which was about 85.79 per cent in the month of August last year, data from Statista revealed.

In January, Chandrasekhar said that the government was working towards developing a policy that will facilitate an ecosystem for the industry dedicated to the creation of an indigenous operating system to counter Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS. He added that the government was looking for startups and academic institutions that want to join it in the creation of a desi operating system.

There have been many attempts to counter Android and iOS before. Samsung’s Tizen OS and Microsoft’s Windows Phone lasted for a while before their market share was marginalised to almost negligible. Both the operating systems are dead today. Huawei recently launched HarmonyOS after the US suspended its Android license because of trade concerns. It is the only active rival OS to Android and iOS, but if the Indian government’s plans come through, we could see another rival in the near future.