Indian telecom manufacturing is entering a new phase as Ericsson works with the government and suppliers to increase local production of components.
The Swedish telecom equipment maker is assessing the availability of components in India and encouraging suppliers to examine whether more production can be localized.
At the same time, Ericsson is expanding manufacturing for global markets: more than 15,000 antennas and 25 million components have been produced in India since July 2025, with India-made antennas already being exported to Europe and other markets.
The development raises a larger manufacturing question: can India move from producing telecom equipment to building a deeper supplier ecosystem capable of supporting global exports?
Ericsson's latest move is significant because its localization strategy extends beyond final equipment production.
The company has assessed the components it requires and their availability in India, and is approaching suppliers to examine opportunities for domestic manufacturing.
According to CEO Andres Vicente, Ericsson is willing to support suppliers in that localization journey while working with the government, although individual suppliers will ultimately decide whether establishing production in India is commercially viable.
A larger domestic plant can increase output, but sustained value addition depends on how much of the upstream supply chain - components, electronics, engineering, and specialized manufacturing - can also be developed locally.
Ericsson already works with manufacturing partners including Jabil in Pune and Gurugram-based VVDN Technologies.
Its India operations cover telecom equipment manufacturing, antenna production, ASIC design and R&D, giving the company a broader footprint than a conventional assembly operation.
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The export element makes Ericsson's expansion more important for Indian telecom manufacturing.
Ericsson says more than 15,000 antennas and 25 million components have been produced through its Indian ecosystem since July 2025, while India-manufactured antennas are being exported to Europe and other global markets.
Vicente has positioned India not only as a market for Ericsson's equipment but also as a manufacturing base from which products can be exported globally.
The company is working with VVDN to manufacture advanced antennas in India, with Europe among the key export destinations. This creates an opportunity for Indian suppliers if Ericsson's localization effort expands.
More local sourcing could allow component manufacturers to scale alongside the telecom equipment maker, potentially creating a wider export-oriented ecosystem rather than isolated manufacturing capacity.
Ericsson's strategy also fits into India's broader effort to build domestic telecom manufacturing.
Under the Telecom and Networking Products PLI scheme, companies had generated Rs 78,672 crore in sales, including Rs 14,963 crore in exports, with Rs 4,081 crore of investment as of January 2025.
The scheme has also been amended to provide an additional incentive for products designed, developed, and manufactured in India.
By March 2026, government data showed Rs 5,278 crore of cumulative investment and 33,610 jobs generated under the Telecom and Networking Products PLI scheme.
The policy support therefore gives Ericsson's supplier-localization push a broader industrial base.
The next test will be whether Indian companies can move further upstream into specialized components and technologies needed for advanced telecom equipment.
For Ericsson, the combination of local sourcing, manufacturing, R&D and exports could make India more deeply integrated into its global supply chain.
For India, the larger opportunity is to ensure that this expansion creates domestic value addition across the telecom manufacturing ecosystem, rather than simply increasing final assembly.
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