The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has directed major telecom operators—including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, and BSNL—to disclose details of Chinese equipment used in their networks. This directive comes amid growing global trade tensions between the US and China, placing Indian telecom companies under increased scrutiny.
Despite being barred from India’s 5G rollout, Chinese vendors like Huawei and ZTE continue to play a role in legacy telecom infrastructure, with their equipment widely integrated into 2G, 3G, and 4G networks, especially in core, wireless, and fiber optic systems of providers like Airtel, Vi, and BSNL.
India has already enforced policies to curb Chinese participation in its telecom sector. In 2021, the DoT updated the Unified Access Service Licence, mandating that telecom gear can only be sourced from ‘trusted vendors’. While companies like Ericsson (Sweden), Nokia (Finland), and Samsung (South Korea) meet these criteria, Chinese firms remain unapproved.
This move is part of a broader strategy to minimize reliance on Chinese-made telecom gear. According to TRAI, 38% of India’s networking and telecom imports in 2022–2023 came from China. Globally, nations like the US and UK have also sidelined Chinese firms from critical tech infrastructure due to national security concerns.
To boost domestic capabilities, India launched a Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme in 2021 to promote telecom and electronics manufacturing. As of mid-2024, it has attracted ₹3,400 crore in investments and pushed telecom production beyond ₹50,000 crore.
The government is also advancing digital safety initiatives like the Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP), which fosters real-time coordination between telcos, enforcement agencies, and financial or digital entities.
In addition, the Centre is exploring the expansion of its ‘trusted sources’ policy into other tech-driven sectors like IoT. Last year, it updated regulations to bring more electronic items—including CCTV cameras, smartphones, and tablets—under mandatory compliance for safe sourcing.
