Huawei, one of the Chinese vendors that played a major role in supplying network gear/parts to the telcos in India for building their 4G network, might be absent from the 5G roll out. Earlier this week, we reported that Chinese vendors such as Huawei and ZTE might be included in India’s list of trusted vendors for supplying network equipment for 5G. But that might not be the case after all. According to an ET report, India is unlikely to include Huawei in its list of trusted companies. The Chinese vendor had a chance to make it to the trusted list if it fulfilled all the criteria listed by the government.
Security Concerns to Keep Huawei Away from India’s 5G Roll Out
Yet again, sources close to the matter believe that because of the ‘security concerns’, Huawei might not be included in the list of trusted vendors to supply network equipment by the Indian government. Huawei has faced multiple allegations and accusations across the world with respect to security concerns. Many countries believe that Huawei has internal ties with the Chinese government. On top of this, the current border tensions between India and China have further escalated the company’s problems. The Indian government is wary of the privacy concerns that arise if Huawei or, for that matter, any other Chinese vendor or untrusted vendor is allowed to supply core network equipment to the telcos. The Indian government has handed National Cybersecurity Coordinator (NCSC) the task of creating a list of ‘trusted vendors’ that the telcos can source their equipment from. Further, whenever telcos want to purchase equipment from any vendor not present in the trusted list, they will have to cite a reason for the same and seek permission from NCSC before moving ahead with the deal or transaction. This will be good news for all the European vendors that are in the trusted eyes of the government since they will have a much bigger chunk of business available for themselves now.
