New Delhi: India’s mobile phone manufacturing juggernaut has hit turbo speed, with exports exploding 95% year-on-year to over $1.8 billion in September, shrugging off seasonal slumps that typically plague August and September.
The India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) hailed this as proof of a “robust ecosystem” firing on all cylinders, from scale to supply chains.
Defying norms where production tweaks and festive rerouting slow shipments, this month’s haul underscores the sector’s maturity. For the first half of FY26 (April-September), exports soared to $13.5 billion — a whopping 60% jump from $8.5 billion last year — cementing India’s ascent as a global tech powerhouse.
The US dominates, absorbing nearly 70% of outflows, a significant increase from 37% a year ago. Shipments there ballooned to $9.4 billion from $3.1 billion, a staggering 200% surge, driven by trust in Indian quality amid geopolitical shifts. Other hotspots, like the UAE, Austria, the Netherlands, and the UK, also lapped up the bounty, fuelling dreams of $35 billion in total exports for FY26 — up from $24.1 billion last fiscal year.
“This momentum reflects our edge in delivering reliability at volume,” beamed ICEA Chairman Pankaj Mohindroo. “Sustaining it means deepening local components and outpacing rivals.” With giants like Apple and Samsung ramping up local assembly, the PLI scheme’s bet is paying off, positioning India not just as a factory but a future export kingpin.