India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is preparing to launch an online portal in June, announcing a list of approved 5G manufacturers for network buildout, slated for rollout by late 2021 to early 2022, according to a government official. Mint reported that China’s Huawei and ZTE might make the cut if they fit India’s eligibility criteria for “trusted” telecom equipment sources. Other manufacturers being vetted include Nokia, Samsung, Ericsson, Intel, and Qualcomm.
The portal, being built by The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-Dot), the research and development (R&D) wing of DoT, will act as a gateway for procuring telecom equipment, including submission of details regarding the vendor and the product. Users can also track the approval process via the online source.
Since the outbreak of the Sino-Indo border tensions earlier in 2020, the Indian government has taken a series of steps to make it more challenging for Chinese companies to operate in the country. The government is tightening restrictions with border countries to ensure vetting is completed by Indian authorities, according to ETT Special.
“Currently, most service providers buy equipment on an L1 (lowest-bidder) basis. We do not have any form of embargo or condition to procure such gear. We are worried about the procurement of active programmable components such as chips for which we are tightening the rules,” said the official.
The National Cyber Security Centre will recommend the trusted sources to the National Security Committee on Telecom, the final approving authority, reported ETT Special.
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