On January 24, the Indian government tested the BharOS developed by the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras and stated that the next phase would require work on the app ecosystem and self-reliant (aatmanirbhar) chipset. During a briefing, Union Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Union Minister for Communications, Electronics, and Information Technology Dharmendra Pradhan spoke with Dr KN Satyanarayana of ITT Tirupati, who said the BharOS system appeared to be working “very nicely,” and that it is a great initiative from a system standpoint. The briefing came just days after ITT Madras unveiled BharOS, an indigenous operating system designed to compete with Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS for smartphones.
During the briefing, Union Minister Vaishnaw stated that the “aatmanirbhar journey” would be difficult, and that many people around the world would “not want any such system to succeed.” He also added, “now we have to work on further development, particularly the app ecosystem (of BharOS) and the chipset that has to become aatmanirbhar”.
The government’s support for a native mobile operating system and chipset comes at a time when India is suing Google for antitrust violations. The government of India has imposed a $161 million fine for alleged abuse of a dominant market position. Phones running Google’s Android OS account for approximately 97% of the Indian smartphone market.
Furthermore, India’s antitrust watchdog, the Competition Commission of India (CCI), has asked Google to make changes to the Android operating system so that users have more options for apps to use on their smartphones. Google petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn CCI’s order. The company has stated that it is reviewing the decision and will “cooperate with the CCI on the next steps.”
What is BharOS?
IIT Madras recently unveiled the Linux-based BharOS operating system, designed specifically for Indian smartphone users. The mobile operating system is still in its early stages of development, but its creators assure that the OS will give users more freedom, control, and flexibility to choose and use only the apps that meet their needs.
It consists of three major components: No Default Apps (NDA), Native Over The Air (NOTA), and Private App Store Services (PASS), with more information available here.
According to IIT Madras, mobile operating systems can be installed on “commercial off-the-shelf handsets.” All of these new initiatives are intended to accelerate Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a digital and self-sufficient India.
