Mobile Internet body IAMAI today launched an initiative that aims to scale up mobile app developer ecosystem from the current 50,000 to five lakh in five years.
With Google India and Paytm as founding partners of the programme, the 'Mobile10X' initiative also aims to boost the mobile app segment revenue to Rs 10,000 crore from the current Rs 1,000 crore.
"India is on the cusp of apps revolution. With over 213 million mobile internet users and nearly 130 million local language consumers on the internet, the growth trajectory for app development is bound to be exponential," Google India Managing Director Rajan Anandan told reporters here.
He added that the platform will play a mentorship role and this will not be a funding or incubation platform.
Under the programme, IAMAI will set up five mobile startup hubs over the next five years.
"The first one has been set up in Bengaluru, while the second one will come up around January. We are also looking at cities like Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Pune and Mumbai," Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) President Subho Ray said.
These mobile hub will have a testing lab, design lab, capability building and co-working space, where the developers can work for free, he said adding that the cost will be borne by the founding members.
The initiative will also train five lakh engineering students on Android and iOS platforms, provide online mentoring with experts as well as offer industry and investor connect, Ray said.
"With apps developers' community growing at an exponential pace, Mobile10X would augur developer base, quality and market by 10 times by 2019," LinkedIn India Head Nishant Rao said.
The programme will educate, engage, evangelise and enable and cater to students as well the as the entire ecosystem of mobile app developers.
Other Board members of Mobile 10X include InMobi's Naveen Tewari, Snapdeal's Kunal Bahl and V Manjula, Secretary of Karnataka's Department of IT, Biotechnology, and Science & Technology.
