Qualcomm: Global companies looking at India as the technology platform to drive innovation: Qualcomm, Telecom News, ET Telecom

NEW DELHI: India is emerging as the technology platform for global companies to drive innovations and recent investments in Jio Platforms will allow some of these companies to make India base for future products and will also help the country’s startup ecosystem, a top Qualcomm India executive said.

“So, now India is being used as a platform for various companies…a lot of innovation on WhatsApp, for instance, started from India. Look at Jio and how these tech companies are looking at India. You see the various strategic alignments that companies are trying to bring together. Google and Facebook are their [Jio] strategic partners..those are the platforms, which are basically going to make India base for a lot of innovations,” Rajen Vagadia, VP and President, Qualcomm India & SAARC, told ET.

Qualcomm Ventures, the investment arm of Qualcomm Incorporated, is also investing Rs 730 crore in Jio Platforms for a 0.15 % stake.

US-based chipmaker Qualcomm said that the 5G smartphone ecosystem is quickly coming in place and 5G-equipped devices will be available across affordable price points by the end of this year, which will drive India telecom operators to quickly adopt the high-speed technology once the spectrum is available.

The availability of a complete 5G handset ecosystem will make it easier for telecom operators to quickly upgrade their networks with the high-speed technology.

“That is a really important point that the devices will be available and networks will accordingly start like what you’re seeing already at Jio [read 5G solution announcement]. The announcements are in the same direction,” said Vagadia.

The executive said that Jio’s plan for 5G in India aligns with Qualcomm’s strategy for the Indian market for both chip and venture businesses.

Qualcomm was very clear since the beginning to make available the 5G device ecosystem to help telcos quickly migrate to the latest technology, Vagadia said.

“India is an open market, where customers are going to buy devices of their choice unlike US where a telco offers a bundled device. It is important to see as Qualcomm that 5G devices are available across price points compared to 4G where it took three years or four years to bring affordable 4G to market,” he added.

“..we will make 5G available for all. With subscribers having 5G devices, operators will be motivated to shift to 5G and convert them as their 5G customers.”

In India, telecom operators are currently awaiting spectrum allocation from the telecom department to kick off 5G trials in the country.

Airtel recently said that it is working with telecom gear vendors, handset partners and application developers to conceptualise 5G trials and use cases. The telco’s CEO Gopal Vittal has said that the rising demand for high-speed data has escalated the need for 5G in India.

Jio, on the other hand, has developed its own 5G technology and is awaiting the DoT nod for trials.