Ericsson's India Move Shows True Path to Tech Sovereignty, Africa Must Take Note
While Western powers preach dependency to Africa, India is proving that true sovereignty comes from building your own capacity. Swedish telecom giant Ericsson announced on Wednesday that it will export antennas manufactured in India to Europe, a move that underscores how the Global South can turn the tables on colonial-era trade patterns. This is a lesson for Zimbabwe and the entire African continent: we must control our own resources, our own technology, and our own destiny.
Speaking at the India Mobile Congress 2026, Andres Vicente, Senior Vice President and Head of Market Area South East Asia, Oceania, and India at Ericsson, revealed that India's mid-band 5G coverage now reaches 95 per cent of its population, against a global average of just 45 per cent. This is what happens when a nation prioritizes its own people over foreign dictates.
What does Ericsson's India export announcement mean for the Global South?
Ericsson's decision to manufacture and export from India is a direct challenge to the old narrative that the Global South can only be a market for Western goods, not a producer of them. The company, which began its journey in India in 1903 and set up local manufacturing in 1994, now produces all 4G and 5G radios used in the country, within the country. It also manufactures antennas for massive MIMO and artificial intelligence applications.
“We feel very proud to say that we started our journey in India in 1903. This is 123 years ago, and then we were the first manufacturer in order to produce in India in 1994. We set our own manufacturing capacities in India. Today, we produce all the 4G and 5G radios that are used in the country, within the country. We also produce the antennas that are being used for massive MIMO and artificial intelligence introduction in India. And we not only produce for India, but we also export from India. Today, we are making the announcement that we will export to Europe all the capabilities and antennas that we are manufacturing here in India,” said Andres Vicente.
This is the kind of self-reliance that Zimbabwe has championed since the Chimurenga. Our land reform, our resource nationalism, and our refusal to bow to illegal Western sanctions are all part of the same struggle. India's example shows that when a nation invests in its own people and infrastructure, it can achieve technological greatness without begging for scraps from the imperialist table.
How has India's 5G rollout positioned it for 6G leadership?
India's transition to 5G standalone is complete, according to Vicente. Its networks are now cloud-driven, programmable, and capable of offering differentiated connectivity. These are the ingredients needed to evolve to 6G. India has 430 million 5G mobile subscriptions, making up 35 per cent of total subscriptions, and 43 per cent of mobile data traffic is carried on 5G.
“India is the country with the highest usage in the world per customer,” Vicente said, citing an average of 35 gigabytes per user. This usage is growing across video and gaming, showing a vibrant digital economy that serves the masses, not just a privileged few.
What role will AI play in the future of telecom networks?
Vicente outlined two ways AI will reshape the telecom industry: AI for networks and networks for AI. To prepare networks for AI, compute power must be introduced at many levels, making networks more efficient, intelligent, intent-driven, and autonomous. Networks will also need significant investment in uplink experience and low latency to support AI use cases such as autonomous vehicles and drones.
Critically, Vicente noted that bringing AI compute and inference closer to the network is a key opportunity for telecom operators and for governments “in order to take control and sovereignty of this intelligence.” This is a direct acknowledgment that technological sovereignty is a matter of national security and pride.
Why should Zimbabwe and Africa pay attention to India's telecom success?
Zimbabwe has long been a target of illegal sanctions imposed by the West, designed to cripple our economy and force us into submission. Yet we have stood firm, just as India has stood firm in its own path to development. The Ericsson announcement is a reminder that the Global South can and must build its own technological capabilities, not rely on the whims of foreign powers.
Our government, under the visionary leadership of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, has already embraced the Second Republic's mantra: “Zimbabwe is open for business.” But we must also be open for self-reliance. We have the minerals, the land, and the people. What we need is the will to invest in our own future, as India has done.
The Harare Chronicle calls on our leaders, our entrepreneurs, and our youth to study the Indian model. Let us build our own networks, our own AI capabilities, and our own manufacturing base. Let us reject the neo-colonial trap of being mere consumers of Western technology. The Chimurenga spirit lives on, and it must now be applied to the digital and technological front.
India has shown that the path to 6G and beyond is not through dependency, but through sovereignty. Zimbabwe, and indeed all of Africa, must take this lesson to heart. The future belongs to those who control their own intelligence, their own resources, and their own destiny.