IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw says Indian smartphone brands coming in next 18 months

Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said that India will soon have its own smartphones brand and that the government has done all the “homework” required to be done. Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2026, Vaishnaw announced that India is expected to launch its own global smartphone brands within the next 12 to 18 months.

“Now we have a very substantial electronics ecosystem in our country, this is the time when we will be going for getting our own Indian brands in mobile phones. We have done all the homework that is required to be done,” he said.




Vaishnaw noted that the ecosystem has matured significantly, and the government has had meetings with the component makers.

“Today and yesterday, we had significant meetings with the entire ecosystem, which produces the thousands of things that are required to go into a mobile phone. And it's very happy, very satisfying progress. Very soon, maybe another one year from now, or maybe maximum 18 months from now, we should have our own Indian Brands coming out,” the minister added.

Ashwini Vaishnaw meets Google Deepmind CEO Demis Hassabis

Vaishnaw also met with Google DeepMind CEO and co-founder Demis Hassabis and OpenAI’s Chief Global Affairs Officer Chris Lehane at the event. Following the meeting, Demis Hassabis took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his optimism regarding the collaboration.

“Great to meet you Minister @AshwiniVaishnaw. Really enjoyed our discussion on AI’s incredible potential to benefit humanity & India’s important role in realising this,” Hassabis wrote, while confirming his participation in the upcoming New Delhi summit to further these conversations.

Vaishnaw also hosted Chris Lehane of OpenAI to discuss “AI for global good”, encouraging active participation from both organisations in India’s upcoming policy frameworks.