Minister of state for electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Friday said the government will ensure that duopoly in app stores does not hurt consumers, startups, and enterprises dependent on them.
He said the approach that the government will follow will involve making Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store more transparent. “We are certainly going to make sure that the play stores and the platforms that enable apps to reach consumers are much more open, transparent, accountable to the consumers and the enterprises, startups that depend on them,” Chandrasekhar said at a Broadband India Forum (BIF) event.
Meanwhile, a report released by Broadband India Forum (BIF), at the event, noted that apps expenditure is expected to reach Rs 64 trillion by 2030, fuelling 12% of GDP growth.
The report estimated that owing to a large multiplier effect of smartphone users and overall economic expansion, growth in the app economy is around 32%, more than four times the GDP growth.
“India’s aspiration to become a $5 trillion economy in the next few years is premised on a $1 trillion contribution from the digital economy,” said BIF chairperson Aruna Sundararajan.
BIF president TV Ramachandran said that apps are creating huge multiplier effects through induced and indirect effects.
“Considering the significant impact of the apps ecosystem on the country’s economy and the socio-economic welfare of its citizens, the government must be commended for enabling this through the current policies and regulations for apps,” Ramachandran said.
According to the report, if the government increases its push towards digitisation and more businesses shift towards apps, the GDP contribution and amount spent on apps are likely to be higher than the current estimate. In addition, 5G penetration is likely to accelerate the adoption and usage of apps, the report said.
