New Delhi, Oct. 9 -- One gigabyte of mobile data in India now costs less than a cup of tea, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday as he challenged the country to become a reliable global supplier of telecommunications equipment.

"This is the best time to invest, innovate and make in India," Modi told delegates at the India Mobile Congress, referencing his signature manufacturing initiative whilst joking about his habit of mentioning tea, a nod to his origins as a tea seller when he was a young boy.

The PM used the four-day event at Yashobhoomi Convention Centre to announce that India has joined an exclusive group of five nations-alongside Denmark, Sweden, South Korea and China-capable of producing indigenous telecommunications ...