New Delhi, Aug. 21 -- After a decade-long hiatus, during which two out of every three smartphones sold in India were Chinese brands, homegrown phone makers could make a comeback as early as next year, information and technology minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Friday.

Speaking at a press roundtable notifying the government's Rs.62,500-crore Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme (MPMS), Vaishnaw said three homegrown companies are in talks with the ministry of electronics and IT (MeitY) to apply for the scheme's 'Target Segment 2', which focuses on bringing Indian smartphone brands back to the market. He, however, did not name these companies.

"There are three companies at the moment, the names of which I cannot reveal, that we are in talks ...