Electrical wires and cable industry is one of the earliest industries established in the country in the field of electrical products. A wide range of wires and cables are manufactured in the country which includes communication cables such as jelly-filled telephone cables, optic fibre cables, local area network cables, switchboard cables, coaxial cables, VSAT cables, electrical cables such as electrical wires, winding wires, automotive/battery cables, UPS cables, flexible wires, low voltage power cables and EHT power cables. The power cable industry may be mainly divided into four segments viz: house wiring (up to 440V), LT (1.1 to 3.3kV), HT (11 to 66kV), EHV (66kV and above). Well-established R&D facilities are key factors for the development of this industry. In India, renowned laboratories like the Central Power Research Institute (CPRI), Electrical Research and Development Association (ERDA) are well equipped with the most advanced product testing facilities to meet international standards.
According to the annual report 2019-20 released by the Department for Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade, the production of different type of cables in 2018-19 and 2019-20 was as follows:
| S.No. | Item/item groups | A/C Unit | 2018-19 | 2019-2020 (Apr-Nov) |
| 1. | Fibre Optics/optical fibre cables | Th.Kilo Me | 20,018.93 | 5,592.83 |
| 2. | Electronic/electrical conductor
Wire (single or multiple strands) |
Tonnes | 5,84,106.09 | 3,40,847.64 |
| 3. | PVC Insulated Cable | Th.Core Km | 5,313.61 | 3,324.62 |
| 4. | Rubber insulated Cables | K. Meter | 67,862.79 | 48,520.72 |
| 5. | Jelly Filled Cables | Th.Core Km | 3,390.46 | 2,365.33 |
| 6. | ACSR Conductors | Tonnes | 1,23,470.57 | 68,562.48 |
The export of wires and Cables (HS Code 7413 & 8544) in 2018-19 was INR 651,721.76 lakhs and in 2019-20 (Apr.- Nov.) is INR 534,623.99 lakhs respectively whereas the import of wires cables in 2018- 19 was INR 802962.37 and in 2019-20 (Apr-Nov.) is INR 476,512.89 lakhs respectively.
