India mulling not using 4G telecom gear made in China

India's Department of Telecom (DoT) may ask state-owned telecom service provider Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) to not use Chinese telecom gear to upgrade its 4G network, in a move which came amidst India-China military standoff in eastern Ladakh.

The standoff has stirred anti-China sentiments across India with street protests and some trade bodies like Confederation of All India Trade (CAIT) calling for a boycott of Chinese products.

In the first tangible fall-out of the military standoff on the economic front, Chinese mobile handset maker Oppo cancelled the livestream launch of its flagship 5G smartphone in India amid protests calling for the boycott of Chinese products in various parts of the country.

DoT sources privy to talks in the DoT said it has been decided that BSNL will be asked to not use Chinese equipment in upgradation to 4G network, which is being supported by its revival package.

The DoT is also likely to convey that the tender in this regard may need to be reworked.

A similar message will be conveyed also to another state-owned telecom service provide Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) which are operational in metropolitan cities, the sources said.

The DoT is even considering measures to urge private telecom operators to bring down their dependence on Chinese-made telecom equipment.

There have always been concerns around network security of Chinese equipment, the sources pointed out.

Four of the five top smartphone brands in India (Xiaomi, Vivo, Realme and Oppo) are from China and account for almost 76 percent share of smartphones shipped to the country in the quarter that ended in March 2020.

South Korea's Samsung, which ranked third with a 15.6 percent share of shipment in the same quarter, is the only non-Chinese firm in the top five tally.