Telecom Manufacturing Zone attracts Rs 5,500 crore investment commitments

Mumbai: India’s first Telecom Manufacturing Zone (TMZ) has secured investment commitments worth more than Rs 5,500 crore, with industry pledging to create over 18,000 jobs, as the Centre intensified efforts to position the country as a global telecom manufacturing hub.

The commitments emerged from investor and strategic roundtables organised by the Department of Telecommunications in partnership with the Cellular Operators Association of India. The meetings were jointly chaired by Jyotiraditya M. Scindia and Mohan Yadav.

The proposed Telecom Manufacturing Zone is being developed in Gwalior following a memorandum of understanding signed between the Centre and the Madhya Pradesh government on 30 July. The 170-acre plug-and-play industrial cluster is expected to support telecom and electronics manufacturing, research and development, innovation and allied industries.

The latest roundtable in Mumbai attracted fresh investment commitments exceeding Rs 2,000 crore, with participating companies indicating the projects would generate more than 4,000 jobs. Combined with assurances made during an earlier investor meeting in Delhi, total commitments have now crossed Rs 5,500 crore, with projected employment of over 18,000 people.

Leading technology companies, including Qualcomm, NTT DATA and Jio, participated in the investor discussions. Global telecom equipment makers Ericsson and Nokia, along with IT majors Tata Consultancy Services and Tech Mahindra, also expressed interest in establishing service support and development centres within the zone.

India’s three private telecom operators, Bharti Airtel, Jio and Vodafone Idea, backed the initiative and said they would encourage their vendor ecosystems to explore manufacturing and supply chain opportunities in Gwalior.

Addressing the gathering, Jyotiraditya M. Scindia said India must evolve from a services-led economy into a product-led one by increasing domestic value addition, developing intellectual property within the country and taking Indian-designed telecom products to global markets.

Mohan Yadav invited companies to invest in the state, saying Madhya Pradesh has emerged as a preferred destination for manufacturing industries and that the Telecom Manufacturing Zone represents a joint initiative between the state and Union governments.

Meanwhile, Department of Telecommunications secretary Amit Agrawal described the project as India’s first integrated telecom manufacturing zone, saying it would help deepen domestic value addition and strengthen India’s role in global telecom supply chains.

The second roundtable focused on India’s long-term telecom strategy, exploring ways to strengthen domestic manufacturing, promote innovation and increase industry participation in the Gwalior project. During the discussions, Scindia also invited global investors to participate in India Mobile Congress 2026, scheduled to be held at Yashobhoomi, New Delhi, from 7 to 10 October.

With investment commitments gathering pace even before construction begins, the Telecom Manufacturing Zone is shaping up as a key pillar of India’s ambition to move beyond telecom services and become a global centre for telecom products, innovation and exports.