The Indian government is making efforts to ensure that none of the Chinese firms takes part in the 5G network in India because of the ongoing border tension between India and China. According to an ET telecom report, the Department of Telecommuncations (DoT) has directed the major telcos in the country - Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi), to appoint nodal officers to coordinate with the NCSC for matters related to getting equipment from trusted sources. The nodal officers are expected to be in constant contact with the NCSC so that both the parties can exchange information effectively on the designated portal regarding products they are sourcing from the trusted sources for their network.
DoT’s Orders
It has been stated by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on Tuesday that a nodal officer shall be appointed by the telecommunications service providers (TSPs) and they shall be provided with access to the portal. The nodal officers will also be rendering inputs to the District Attorney (DA) in both online and offline mode. The statement further communicated that the licensee should provide every information immediately that the DA is seeking. The licensee is mandated to only connect the trusted products in its network and should ask for approval from DA for any form of upgradation in the future. In any case, the procurement rules are yet to be enforced from June 16, 2021 and the NCSC will launch the beta portal on April 15, 2021. The sections of gear for which the security code related to trusted sources is applicable. India is making it very hard for Chinese companies to do business in India. Despite that, Huawei is quite confindent and positive about its future in India. The Chinese vendor believes that the government will take the right decision when the time comes. It is worth nothing that both Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea (Vi) already have a contract with Huawei and ZTE.
