Article
Building a Trusted Photonics Ecosystem for India: Strategic Imperatives in an Era of Network-Centric Conflict

By : Jaijit Bhattacharya, Anushka Verma, Dipanjan Ghosh

Page No: 227-244

Abstract
India’s digital transformation, anchored by BharatNet, nationwide 5G rollout, power-grid modernisation, and defence digitalisation, ultimately relies on a single foundational layer: optical fibre networks and active photonic components, including optical transceivers that enable high-speed signal transmission and reception. Despite rapid expansion, India’s critical infrastructure remains strategically vulnerable. More than 70 percent of optical fibre preforms and nearly all optical transceivers are imported, largely from China and other unverified supply sources, creating long-term dependence risks. Judicial interventions and customs classifications have further redefined active optical components as “parts” or “raw materials,” permitting duty-free imports and weakening incentives for domestic manufacturing capacity. At the same time, optical fibre, historically treated as a commodity input, faces emerging risks of engineered material defects that may surface only years after deployment. In an era defined by network-centric warfare and digital economies, dependence on unverified photonic inputs could undermine national security, economic resilience, and infrastructure integrity.

Authors
Dr. Jaijit Bhattacharya, President of the Centre for Digital Economy Policy Research (C-DEP), is a leading voice on India’s digital economy, technological sovereignty, and national security oriented policy reform.
Anushka Verma is a Policy Consultant at the Centre for Digital Economy Policy Research (C-DEP), specialises in digital economy and technology policy.
Dipanjan Ghosh, Senior Policy Analyst at the Centre for Digital Economy Policy Research (C-DEP), is an economist with consulting experience across ICT and public policy domains.
 

DOI: http://doi.org/10.32381/NS.2026.09.02.5