Mobile Phones

Mobile phone makers seek tax exemption on capital goods, display parts

Mobile phone firms have sought a customs duty reduction on mobile parts like microphones, printed circuit boards, and wearables, as well as tariff correction on capital goods and other components, to lower the handset production cost, industry body ICEA said in its budget recommendations. The mobile phone makers' body has suggested that the government rationalise duty on capital goods, citing recent restrictions imposed by China that threatened local production of mobile phones. "With China's recent export restrictions on manufacturing machinery increasing supply-chain risks, India's dependence on imported equipment has become a strategic vulnerability. It is, therefore, recommended that the government extend the existing zero-duty benefit on capital equipment to all constituent components, sub-assemblies, and assemblies imported specifically for their manufacture," ICEA said. India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA), whose members include Apple, Foxconn, Dixon, Xiaomi, Viv

Mobile phone production to reach $75 billion by FY26-end, says ICEA

Mobile phone production in the country is expected to reach USD 75 billion, comprising export of over USD 30 billion, by end of the current fiscal year, industry body ICEA said on Monday. India Cellular and Electronics Association Chairman Pankaj Mohindroo told PTI that India delivered strong growth in electronics production, reaching USD 133 billion in 2025, while exports continued to expand sharply. "The Mobile Phone PLI scheme continued through 2025-26, and its impending completion in March 2026 will be another important milestone for the sector. Under this scheme, Indian mobile production scale has grown substantially, and we expect India to reach around USD 75 billion in mobile production with more than USD 30 billion in exports in FY26," he said. ICEA members include Apple, Foxconn, Dixon, Vivo, Oppo, and Lava. Mohindroo said the deepening of the value chain through electronics component manufacturing scheme (ECMS) and semiconductor project approvals met industry expectations

HC flags access to phones in Goa's Colvale jail, orders jammer network

The High Court of Bombay at Goa has said that it shocks the conscience that mobile charging points were installed inside the Central Jail at Colvale in North Goa without the knowledge and consent of the prison authorities. In a recent order, Justice Shreeram V Shirsat took cognisance of the smuggling of mobile phones and contraband into the jail premises and asked prison officials to install a robust jammer network. The HC gave the directions while hearing a petition against Chandu Patil, who is in jail for allegedly murdering a child. Patil allegedly had called up the victim's family from the jail, issuing them veiled threats. Some swift, comprehensive, remedial and stringent measures are required to be taken by the jail authorities to ensure that such incidents do not occur in future, the judge said. The court order, which has sought a reply from the jail administration on January 20, 2026, has also pointed out that several cells inside the jail have mobile charging points, which

Costlier chips may squeeze 2026 smartphone sales as prices jump 40%

Increasing shortage of memory chips expected to push up its price by another 40 per cent

From rank 127 to No 1 on App Store, Sanchar Saathi gains amid outrage

An app nobody noticed, until everyone did. Political heat and curiosity pushed it to the top in downloads. How long before the slide?

Centre pulls pre-installation mandate for Sanchar Saathi app after backlash

The Ministry of Communications said that given the surge in voluntary downloads of Sanchar Saathi, pre-installation of the app will not be mandatory for manufacturers

Smartphone exports hit a new record of $1.8 billion in September

In fact, September this year saw a jump not just over the same month last year but across last three years when India averaged approximately $900 million each year in the month since 2022-23 (FY23)

GST overhaul: Will your smartphones get cheaper? Here's what you must know

Smartphone manufacturers had been seeking a reduction in GST on mobile phones from 18 per cent to 5 per cent, arguing that this would boost demand

Dixon Tech, China's HKC form ₹370 cr JV for display module manufacturing

Domestic electronics contract manufacturer Dixon Technologies has formed a Rs 370 crore joint venture for display modules manufacturing with Chinese company HKC Overseas. The Dixon Technologies-HKC Overseas joint venture is for manufacturing and selling of LCD and TFT-LCD modules that are used in electronic devices like TV, mobile phones etc for display, a regulatory filing said on Saturday. "Dixon Technologies (India) Ltd has entered into a Term Sheet with HKC Corporation Ltd to form a joint venture for manufacturing of Liquid Crystal Modules, thin film transistor liquid crystal display modules, assembly of end products such as smartphones, TVs, monitors and auto displays and selling HKC branded end products in India," the filing said. HKC Overseas Ltd will acquire 26 per cent stake in Dixon Display Technologies Pvt Ltd (DDTPL) for USD 10.998 million, about Rs 95.5 crore and Dixon will acquire 74 per cent stake in the JV for USD 31.3 million, about Rs 274 crore in two tranches. "T

Phones in pocket, laptops on lap linked to male infertility: Study

A joint study by the genetics research unit of Calcutta University's department of zoology and the Institute of Reproductive Medicine (IRM), Kolkata, has found that keeping mobile phones in trouser pockets and keeping laptops on laps for long hours may significantly increase the risk of male infertility and even impotence. The five-year study, launched in 2019, was led by Professor Sujay Ghosh (Calcutta University), with support from Dr Ratna Chattopadhyay (IRM), Dr Samudra Pal (CU), Dr Paranb Paladhi (IRM), and Dr Saurav Dutta (CU). A copy of the findings was made available to PTI on Wednesday. "Male patients who visited IRM for infertility treatment were invited to participate in the study. We excluded cases involving diagnosed female infertility and obstructive male infertility (caused by anatomical defects). The study focused exclusively on cases of idiopathic male infertility (infertility of unknown origin), specifically those with azoospermia (absence of sperm in semen) or ...

Smartphones emerge as second-largest export category, shows govt data

Apple Inc, through its iPhones, accounted for two-thirds of India's smartphone exports during the period under review, underscoring the impact of the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme

Apple iPhone 16 takes bite out of iPhone 15's sales, dials 8% growth

This increase has been led by the top-end iPhone 16 Pro series (Pro and Pro Max), which was initially imported but is now being assembled in India by Foxconn

Good design, bad design and the Apple problem: Insights from Don Norman

The 88-year-old designer, author of books like The Design of Everyday Things, Emotional Design, Design for a Better World was in India as advisor to BITS Design School, Mumbai, for a three-city tour

New challenge: Feature phone companies likely to red flag DoT mandate

New requirements for feature phones to support 'auto readout' of emergency messages will increase their cost due to the need for more memory

Rajasthan blocks 236k suspicious SIMs, 229k phones to curb cybercrime

In a bid to curb cyber crimes in Mewat region, Rajasthan Police has blocked 2.36 lakh suspicious SIMs and 2.29 lakh mobile handsets, officials said on Monday. In the last two months, police have recovered more than 5,000 stolen and lost mobiles and returned them to their owners, a statement by the police said. According to the statement, "Operation Antivirus" is being run in coordination with the Government of India and the Centre's department of telecommunications. Director General of Police (Cyber ?Crime) Hemant Priyadarshi said police have identified cyber criminals based on their records in the 'Operation Antivirus' database and taken effective action against them. Police have identified around 2.36 lakh suspicious SIMs and around 2.29 lakh mobile handsets with suspicious IMEI and got them blocked by contacting the Department of Telecommunications, Government of India, due to which cyber crime has decreased drastically in the Mewat region, the DGP said. IMEI is a 15-digit numb

No link between mobile phones, brain cancer, finds WHO-backed study

The final analysis included 63 studies from 1994-2022, assessed by 11 investigators from 10 countries, including the Australian government's radiation protection authority

Luxury lift: Sales of smartphones over Rs 1 lakh surge, buck mkt trend

Although this segment currently makes up just one per cent of the overall market, it is growing faster than other categories

iPhones now cheaper by up to Rs 5,900 after Budget's duty relief

Sharpest price is for iPhone SE assembled in India; other models become cheaper too

Mobile makers cumulatively invest Rs 8,282 cr under PLI scheme till June

Mobile phone and specified components makers under the PLI scheme for large scale electronics manufacturing have cumulatively invested Rs 8,282 crore till June 2024, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. Minister of State for Electronics and IT Jitin Prasada in a written reply to Lok Sabha said that a total of 32 companies were approved with committed investment of Rs 11,324 crore and a projected production target of Rs 10.7 lakh crore under the PLI (Production Linked Incentive) scheme for Large Scale Electronics Manufacturing. He said that out of 32 companies approved under the scheme for large scale electronics manufacturing, seven are Greenfield companies and 25 are Brownfield companies. "Of the cumulative investment of INR 8,282 crore made under the scheme till June 30, 2024, the cumulative investment made by Greenfield companies is Rs 3,136 crore and the cumulative investment made by Brownfield companies is Rs 5,146 crore," Prasada said. The companies under the scheme had made

Budget 2024: FM cuts basic customs duty on mobile phones, chargers to 15%

Reduction in BCD on these items was a major demand from the electronics manufacturing bodies