Apple Has Started Manufacturing Phones, Components In India For Export, Says Union IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad

Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday (16 September) said that American smartphone maker Apple has started making mobiles phones and components in India for export, reports LiveMint.

Prasad was speaking to reporters after talks with senior officials of 34 smartphone and consumer electronics companies, including Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi and Oppo among others.

“Apple has started manufacturing phones in India, including components. I am making this announcement publicly that now they have come to India, they have started making phones for export. They have also started making components for export. This is just the tip of the iceberg. I want a robust presence of Apple in India," Prasad said.

According to the report, Apple assembles its iPhone SE, iPhone 6S and iPhone 7 models at a facility in Bengaluru through contract manufacturer Wistron.

The US company has just 1.6 per cent share in the Indian market dominated by Xiaomi, Samsung, Oppo and Vivo.

The development reportedly comes at a time when Apple is looking to slowly shift its manufacturing from China to other countries amid the escalating trade tensions between Washington and Beijing.