The latest controversy with Huawei and the US government has raised a lot of questions about the security of data and privacy in the country. The equipment manufacturer Huawei also has a prominent business in India, and as such, now the authorities in India have a big decision to make in regards to Huawei. When it comes to a decision related to the telecom industry in India, the Department of Telecommunication is the one calling the shots, however, this time things will be different as Department of Telecommunications won't be the only one having a say in the matter. Related authorities have said that higher authorities will take a holistic view in the government.
US Places Complete Ban on Huawei and Urges Other Countries to Do Same
A top official of the DoT said on Thursday that the department has set up a panel to examine issues related to Huawei's participation in the Indian telecom network reports PTI. Telecom Secretary, Aruna Sundararajan said in this regard during an ITU-APT Foundation event. "We are expecting a recommendation of the committee. Once the recommendations of the committee come, these will be submitted to the government to take a call. It is not just going to be the decision of the DoT." She further added, "It will be a larger strategic decision which has trade implications which has geopolitical implications."
On the other hand, Huawei has claimed that the US government is lobbying against it across the world, including in India, to block its business. As you would expect, the US government is at odds with Huawei and has said that Huawei is a threat to its national security as it is owned by the Chinese government and has a deep involvement with the country's intelligence services. The Chinese telecom firm has denied all the allegation by the US government related to this.
Huawei's Participation in 5G Trials Now in Question
On Thursday, the Chinese government urged India to make an "independent judgement" about Huawei's operations in the country without being affected by the US ban on the Chinese telecom giant's products and provide an "unbiased and non-discriminatory" environment for the Chinese businesses. It is worth noting that Huawei the leader when it comes to telecom equipment across the world, and at number two when it comes to smartphone manufacturing. Even then, the US has banned Huawei over security concerns, and Washington has been pressuring other countries to restrict the operations of the Chinese telecom firm.
The Indian government, however, is yet to take a decision on whether or not it plans to place restrictions on Huawei's operations in the country. The main question is whether or not the telecom equipment provider will be allowed to participate in the upcoming 5G trials that are scheduled to commence in 100 days. Huawei has teamed up with Vodafone Idea to participate in 5G trials in India. The company claims to have more patents for 5G approved compared to those developed by western countries telecom gear firms.
