Can India take on global tech giants with its own OS?

Why Indian Operating System?

The thinking among industry and governments around the world is that technology giants such as Apple and Google exercise as much control over the Internet ecosystem as they own the operating systems that run on today’s smartphones and computers. According to most market estimates, Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android account for 99% of the world’s smartphone market. They also have Chrome OS and macOS platforms respectively, which run on the computer. Control over these platforms gives them a degree of control over how apps are built, data flow, data sharing, and more. This control is also at the core of many antitrust cases.

How can an OS help the government?

Primarily, an OS that comes under the purview of the Government of India can be tailored to its policies from the very beginning. Policies being designed around the technology today have to take into account global regulations such as the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Such an OS could also have implications for the startup ecosystem, which has long complained about the charges Google and Apple charge for selling apps and services through their respective app stores. Lastly, an OS can be used by the government to mine data about the citizens of the country and use it for various purposes.

Is there any indigenously developed OS?

Government mandated or supported OS does not exist yet. However, in 2013, a group of IIT graduates created Indus OS, which still exists. In November 2021, the firm claimed that its app store, Indus App Bazaar, had over 200 million users. There are other isolated examples as well, such as Paytm’s mini app store, which was launched in September 2020.

Will an Indian OS work?

Google and Apple are powerful because their operating systems are loved by the users. Microsoft Corp. Like giants tried and failed to compete with these two firms. For example, the impact of lack of support from Google is well documented through Huawei. The company withdrew Huawei’s access to Android in 2019 following US sanctions, resulting in a sharp drop in the latter’s market share. The firm’s market share globally declined to 4% in the first quarter of 2021 from 17% in the same period in 2019.

What are the disadvantages of Indian OS?

Government surveillance is one of the major concerns for government-run OS. But operating systems from Google and Apple also come with some important services like Maps, Mail and App Store. These service plugins act as windows into the World Wide Web, and a newer OS may struggle to bring alternatives to these services. For example, Microsoft’s now-discontinued Windows Phone OS lacked several key apps, and experts pointed to lack as one of the main reasons for the platform’s failure.