BENGALURU: Minister of State for Communications & Rural Development, Dr Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani has urged start-ups to focus on products where software differentiation is key as this plays to the country's strengths.
India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2025 on Tuesday organised a Roadshow in Bengaluru. Speaking at the event, he asked partners and innovators to focus on core technologies.
"As someone who has built and run businesses, I understand the pressure to chase quick valuation. But real success - the kind that lasts - comes when you solve problems that matter to people. The government is ready to back you - not as a regulator alone, but as a collaborator - through TTDF (Telecom Technology Development Fund), shared infrastructure, and policy backing," he said.
He also said that the digital transformation has been extraordinary with 1.2 billion mobile subscribers, 1 billion broadband users and over 2.2 lakh villages connected through BharatNet.
He said nearly 1 billion access broadband, a massive 1,452% jump from 2014.
"We are now investing $18 billion more to connect 40,000 additional gram panchayats and 1.5 crore rural households with high-speed internet. From importing 75% of our mobile devices, we are now exporting Rs 1.8 trillion worth of devices annually," he said.
Through the Telecom Technology Development Fund, we’ve supported 120 high-tech start-ups with nearly Rs 500 crore. India is a land of opportunity, and with government support and initiatives like TTDF, this is the best time to be an entrepreneur, he added.
He also asked start-ups to never give up and that they should build a passionate, purpose-driven team and not just build products but build solutions that people are willing to pay for.
Neeraj Mittal, Chairman, DCC & Secretary (T), Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications said, “Telecom is a tough, highly regulated space, dominated by global giants who control standards and platforms. But through schemes and funds, such as the TTDF, the government is reducing risks for start-ups and enabling them to grow."