India's Tata group in talks with Wistron to assemble iPhones: report

• Joint venture would be Indian salt-to-software group's latest push into technology manufacturing.
• Report says it wasn't immediately clear if Apple was aware of talks.
• Tatas could end up with share of Wistron's manufacturing business beyond smartphones.

NEW DELHI: Indian conglomerate Tata Group is in talks with Taiwanese supplier Wistron Corp to establish a joint venture to assemble Apple's iPhones in India, Bloomberg News reported on Friday.

The venture would be the Indian salt-to-software group's latest push into technology manufacturing as it taps Wistron's expertise in product development, supply chain and assembly, Bloomberg added, citing people with knowledge of the matter.

Cupertino, California-headquartered Apple has bet big on India since it began iPhone assembly in the country in 2017 via Wistron and later with Foxconn, in line with the Indian government's push for local manufacturing.

It wasn't immediately clear if Apple was aware of the talks, the report said.

The plan could result in the Tata group buying equity in Wistron's India operations or the two companies building a new assembly plant, or executing both those moves, the report added.

Although details of the deal are not finalised, Tatas could end up with a share of Wistron's manufacturing business beyond smartphones as well, Bloomberg said.

Apple, Tata Group and Wistron did not immediately respond to requests for comment.