The Indian government is planning to create a 'native' operating system (OS) that can compete with iOS and Android.

Currently, there are only two alternatives for phone operating systems, both controlled by American companies in California (iOS and Android). India wants a third, homegrown choice and also plans to grow its electronics industry from $75 billion a year to $300 billion, which could include Indian-designed phones for the domestic market. India’s Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar has announced that he wants to turn things around.

"For example, for national security reasons, countries like India need their own operating system, as well as secure chips for sensitive applications. I think it's a good move that the Indian government has started investing in software engineering industries to develop its own operating system for government employees, banks and financial institutions, space agencies, and other critical agencies that are vulnerable to state-sponsored hacking," technology author Victoria Mendoza told Lifewire via email.

The U.S. government has already faced similar concerns. It recently banned Chinese tech companies Huawei and ZTE from supplying network equipment. The move is important for 5G mobile networks, which would otherwise run on hardware potentially controlled by the Chinese government.