New Delhi (Sputnik): India's telecom industry body has pressed the government to take an early decision on the use of Chinese telecom equipment manufacturer Huawei, as the government has announced the beginning of trials of 5G networks in the next three months.
Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) Director General Rajan Mathews said on Thursday that an early decision regarding the participation of the Chinese manufacturer would help operators make investment decisions.
"The industry is saying it is really up to the government to decide on Huawei…let us know earlier rather than later because we have to make decisions on 4G… operators are buying 4G equipment that future proof, in terms of forward compatibility for 5G…any sudden change of rules midway, will mean financial loss to us…" Mathews said, as quoted by PTI.
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On 3 June, Chinese telecom titan Huawei Technologies echoed a similar sentiment, asking the government to make an independent choice amid pressure from the US, which has been asking its allies to give up on plans to develop a 5G network with Huawei's help.
India has already established a $77 million 5G testbed to support service providers developing 5G products and services. The government has plans to introduce 5G technologies in big way in the armed forces, for which a special task force has already taken suggestions from the forces' leadership on enhancing Indian defence forces' self-reliance in critical advanced technologies.
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Last year, the government constituted a high-level task force to develop the 5G ecosystem in the country. In the next five to seven years, beside an early deployment of 5G services in the country, the government aims to create a globally competitive product development and manufacturing ecosystem covering 50 percent of the Indian market and at least 10 percent of the global market.