If you have a smartphone, it is likely that it runs on Android or iOS. In the smartphone software ecosystem, there is a duopoly between Google and Apple, which not only other firms, such as Microsoft but also governments of many nations have pushed to break. The Indian government is considering developing its own mobile operating system in order to compete with both Google and Apple.
As per Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, the government intends to build an environment for the development of an alternative operating system for mobile phones and computers.”The government is considering development of the Operating System, as part of the government’s efforts to create a vibrant design and innovation ecosystem in Electronics and Information Technology,” Chandrasekhar said.
Despite the fact that the government has not yet earmarked funds for the establishment of such an ecosystem, the plans are likely to be implemented. While responding to a question from Congress MP Karti P Chidambaram on whether this “Indian” operating system will be available just in India, Chandrasekhar stated that there is no policy that restricts the export and usage of software goods developed in India in foreign markets. This could indicate that the government intends to expand the use of the aforementioned mobile OS.
In January, Chandrasekhar claimed the government was working on a policy that would help the industry create an ecosystem committed to producing an indigenous operating system to compete with Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS. He went on to say that the government was looking for entrepreneurs and academic institutions to collaborate on developing a desi operating system.
There have been numerous attempts to combat Android and iOS in the past. Samsung’s Tizen OS and Microsoft’s Windows Phone both had a brief period of popularity before their market share dwindled to nearly nothing. Both operating systems are no longer in use.