Mumbai/New Delhi, Aug. 4 : The Centre and the Madhya Pradesh government on Tuesday secured fresh investment commitments worth more than ₹2,000 crore for the proposed Telecom Manufacturing Zone (TMZ) in Gwalior, taking the total pledged investment to over ₹5,500 crore with the potential to generate more than 18,000 jobs.
The commitments were announced during investor and strategic roundtable meetings jointly chaired by Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav in Mumbai. The meetings were organised by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in collaboration with the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI).
The proposed Gwalior facility, spread over 170 acres, is being developed as India’s first integrated Telecom Manufacturing Zone aimed at strengthening domestic telecom manufacturing, research and development, innovation and exports under the Centre’s Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
Speaking at the event, Mr. Scindia said India must transition from being primarily a services-driven economy to a product-driven economy by increasing domestic value addition, creating intellectual property within the country and promoting Indian-designed and Indian-manufactured telecom products globally.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav invited industry leaders to invest in Madhya Pradesh, saying the state had emerged as a preferred destination for manufacturing industries due to its industry-friendly policies and infrastructure.
Telecom Secretary Amit Agrawal said the Telecom Manufacturing Zone would help create high-value intellectual property in India and position the country as a major player in the global telecom supply chain under the “Make in India for India and the World” vision.
The investor roundtable was attended by leading telecom and electronics companies, including Qualcomm, NTT Data, Reliance Jio and other industry players, who discussed opportunities to strengthen domestic manufacturing, reduce import dependence and enhance India’s export competitiveness.
According to the government, companies participating in the Mumbai meeting committed investments exceeding ₹2,000 crore, expected to create over 4,000 jobs. These commitments add to investment proposals worth ₹3,500 crore and around 14,000 employment opportunities announced during an earlier roundtable held in New Delhi.
Global technology firms including Qualcomm, Ericsson and Nokia, along with IT majors Tata Consultancy Services and Tech Mahindra, also expressed interest in establishing global service support and development centres within the Telecom Manufacturing Zone.
Private telecom operators Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea welcomed the initiative and said they would encourage their vendor ecosystems to explore opportunities for setting up supply chain and manufacturing facilities in the proposed zone.
A second strategic roundtable focused on leveraging India’s telecom growth over the coming decade and expanding the country’s telecom manufacturing ecosystem. Discussions also centred on attracting greater industry participation and investment in the Gwalior project.
The meetings followed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Department of Telecommunications and the Madhya Pradesh government on July 30 for establishing the Telecom Manufacturing Zone.
Under the project, the Centre will provide ₹493 crore as 100 per cent funding support for the first phase, while the Madhya Pradesh government has allotted around 170 acres of land free of cost along with various investor incentives. The project will be implemented through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), with the state government holding a 51 per cent stake and the Department of Telecommunications holding the remaining 49 per cent.
