BharOS: India’s own mobile OS
A vital step in ensuring self-dependency and safety, BharOS could rival Android and iOS operating systems given the success of India’s UPI
The duopoly of Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS could be over. JandK Operations Private Limited (JandKops), which has been incubated by IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation, a Not-for-Profit company, has developed indigenously BharOS that could be used by the 100 crore mobile users in India.
BharOS could be installed on commercial phones and provides a secure environment for users, claimed the developers. Currently, BharOS is being provided to organisations that have stringent privacy and security requirements. Such users require access to private cloud services through private 5G networks, said a statement by IITM.
BharOS comes with No Default Apps (NDA), which means users can instal only the apps they want and have greater control in sharing information.
Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “BharOS Service is a Mobile Operating System built on a foundation of trust, with a focus on providing users more freedom, control, and flexibility to choose and use only the apps that fit their needs. This innovative system promises to revolutionise the way users think about security and privacy on their mobile devices.”
BharOS provides access to trusted apps from organisation-specific Private App Store Services (PASS), which provides access to a curated list of apps that have been thoroughly vetted and have met certain security and privacy standards of organisations.
Mr. Karthik Ayyar, Director, JandK Operations Pvt Ltd., the start-up that developed this Mobile Operating System, said, “In addition, BharOS offers ‘Native Over The Air’ (NOTA) updates that can help to keep the devices secure. NOTA updates are automatically downloaded and installed on the device, without the need for the user to manually initiate the process. This ensures that the device is always running the latest version of the operating system, which includes the latest security patches and bug fixes. With NDA, PASS, and NOTA, BharOS ensures that Indian mobile phones are trustworthy.”
More private companies, government agencies, and telecom service providers are likely to adopt BharOS going forward.
Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw tested BharOS today. Pradhan said BharOS will benefit the poor and improve data privacy.
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