Securing industrial growth with scalable wireless connectivity

India’s vision to emerge as a global technology powerhouse by 2047 will be shaped by how intelligently and inclusively the nation modernises its digital backbone. The country’s next leap forward will not come from standalone innovations, but from a future in which every factory, vehicle, and home can communicate seamlessly within a secure, interoperable network.

Despite significant progress, nearly half of India’s population remains offline. According to GSMA, 47% of Indians still lack reliable internet connectivity. However, the real challenge extends beyond access; it concerns whether national systems can securely exchange information and scale cohesively as a single, interconnected digital ecosystem.

Unified Wireless Ecosystems for Scale

India’s connectivity is undergoing a profound transformation. The landscape is shifting from fragmented, single-purpose networks to unified, multi-protocol wireless ecosystems that enable scalable industrial innovation. Technologies such as Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth Low Energy, and mesh protocols like Thread and Zigbee are converging to create resilient, low-latency, and energy-efficient networks. These platforms are forming the invisible foundation of India’s smart factories, connected buildings, and EV charging infrastructure.

The future will be defined by systems that are interoperable by design, capable of communicating securely across vendors, applications, and industries without the need for constant reinvention. This shift is already unlocking opportunities for developers and manufacturers to build scalable industrial and consumer-grade devices with greater agility.

Security Foundations for Wireless Growth

As more automation moves to the edge, built-in hardware security becomes central to sustainable innovation. The India Cyber Threat Report 2025 recorded over 369 million malware detections last year, underscoring that cybersecurity risks are now as critical as connectivity itself.

The legacy approach of layering security as an afterthought is no longer viable. Instead, the national focus must shift to designing systems that are resilient at the silicon level, with encryption, authentication, and trust anchors embedded directly in the hardware. This approach not only strengthens compliance but also accelerates development cycles by eliminating the need for repeated security validations downstream.

India’s technology policy framework has also begun to emphasise this security-first mindset. By integrating protection into devices and networks from the ground up, enterprises can better safeguard infrastructure while advancing rapid digitisation.

Scalable Platforms for Industrial Impact

India’s industrial modernisation is accelerating, driven by strong public and private investments in digital transformation—from connected energy grids and automated warehouses to intelligent transportation and healthcare systems.

However, the next phase of growth depends on how efficiently pre-certified, scalable, and interoperable platforms can be deployed to lower barriers for innovation. These foundational wireless technologies will enable both large manufacturers and emerging startups to focus on creating differentiated value rather than rebuilding basic connectivity layers.

As India evaluates opening the 6 GHz spectrum for unlicensed use, this momentum could increase further. Broader access to spectrum would enable dense, high-throughput, low-latency wireless networks, essential for advanced industrial IoT applications and real-time decision-making at scale.

Securing India’s Wireless Future

The digital divide of the future will not be about who has connectivity, but rather about who can adapt, secure, and innovate more quickly. The ability to scale securely across industries will determine competitiveness in an increasingly automated and data-driven economy.

India has an opportunity to lead this global shift by making secure, multi-protocol wireless connectivity a national standard. Every new investment in industrial, transportation, or energy infrastructure should be viewed as an opportunity to embed intelligence and trust at its core.

As the country enters an era where every device and system contributes to the larger digital fabric, the priority should be clear: not merely to deploy connected solutions, but to build an intelligent, secure, and future-ready India.

The author is the Vice President and India Managing Director of NXP Semiconductors.