First Telecom System with India-Made Chips Secures TEC Certification

New Delhi- Union Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that a telecom system powered entirely by domestically produced chips has received certification from the Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC).

Calling it a “big leap” for India’s semiconductor sector, the minister shared the news on X, writing: “Big leap for India’s semiconductor story! In a first, a telecom system running on ‘Made in India’ chips has cleared the standards & quality tests (TEC certification).”

TEC certification serves as the Department of Telecommunications’ benchmark for quality, confirming that telecom equipment meets stringent safety and performance standards. With this approval, Indian-made chips are now positioned on par with global products, paving the way for both domestic deployment and export opportunities.

The development underscores India’s push to reduce reliance on imported semiconductors, a weakness highlighted during recent global chip shortages. Analysts note that India’s focus on building capacity in design, assembly, testing, and integration is key to bridging supply chain gaps.

Currently, countries like Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, China, and the US dominate chip production, creating risks due to concentration in a few regions. India’s efforts aim to diversify and secure supply chains.

Global semiconductor giant ASML Holding NV has also expressed plans to expand partnerships with Indian businesses in the coming year.

The India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), launched in 2021, includes a ?76,000 crore Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme to boost domestic manufacturing and design. Projects worth ?1.6 lakh crore have been approved so far, including Tata Electronics’ ?91,000 crore fab in Dholera, Micron’s ?22,516 crore packaging facility in Sanand, and CG Power’s new OSAT pilot line launched in August.

India is prioritizing mature semiconductor nodes in the 28nm–65nm range, critical for telecom, automotive, and industrial applications. The country’s semiconductor market was valued at $38 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $45–50 billion by 2024–25, and $100–110 billion by 2030. Globally, the market is expected to expand to $1 trillion by 2030.

With inputs from IANS