New Delhi, April 24 -- Minister of State for Communications Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar on Friday urged the telecom industry to pivot towards design-led manufacturing, strengthen research and development (R&D), and actively participate in global technology standard-setting, warning that India risks remaining a "technology consumer" without strategic investments.

Addressing the COAI DigiCom Summit 2026 on Friday, Sekhar emphasised the need for building intellectual property (IP), patents, testing and certification ecosystems, and forming joint ventures with global technology leaders to enhance India's competitiveness in next-generation telecom technologies.

Highlighting emerging risks, the minister pointed to a rapidly evolving threat lands...