Network security is of prime importance for any nation today. Mobile networks carry a ton of data and are susceptible to hacking if proper measures are not taken. This is why almost every nation, including India, has become aware of the security of its mobile networks and are ensuring that network equipment comes from only trusted sources. 5G, the next big revolution in network technology, might be launched in India commercially in 2022. To keep 5G safe, India is going to with equipment from trusted sources only.
Only Trusted Sources to Provide Equipment for 5G
According to a PTI report, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for Communications, told Lok Sabha that only trusted sources are providing equipment to the telcos for 5G. A Congress member Manish Tewari wanted to know whether the telcos are still sourcing network equipment from Huawei. Vaishnaw said that the telcos are only going with the trusted sources for the network equipment. The government earlier this year announced that telecom operators could only source their equipment from trusted sources only. Chinese companies, including Huawei and ZTE have not been included in the trusted sources list of India. This is because of the alleged ties between the companies and the Chinese government. Even the United States (U.S.) and many other countries in Europe are avoiding doing business with Huawei because of security reasons. Vaishnaw said that the biggest thing that the telcos are seeing today is the amount of investment that is required for 5G. There’s not only spectrum but also network upgradation costs involved. The 5G trials of the telcos are going on where Airtel and Vodafone Idea (Vi) has partnered with Nokia and Ericsson for the equipment while Reliance Jio has partnered with Samsung. None of the telcos have tested their 5G with the Chinese vendors. This is a clear indication of Huawei’s future in India as well as some of the other nations.
