Telecom executives Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea have attempted to join hands with questionable Chinese firm Huawei for the upcoming 5G trials. The two operators and Reliance Jio, have presented their programs for the hearings on Wednesday, the last day of application.
Experts said Airtel has joined deals with ZTE, Huawei, Ericsson and Nokia for the 5G trials in the nation, while Jio has partnered Samsung. Vodafone Idea has also attached to ZTE, Huawei, Ericsson, and Nokia.
The department of telecom (DoT) began the process of using 5G in the country on December 31 by meeting major executives and vendors to review the road map for the trials, which are supposed to happen in January-March.
The last date to offer treatments for the trials was 15 January. The government will evaluate the applications and designate the case spectrum to its licensees, or telecom service providers.
Huawei’s teaming up with Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea occurs at a time when the Chinese telecom devices maker is challenging global scrutiny over network security companies. The US has alleged that Huwaei’s 5G devices could be used by China to spy on other nations, an accusation the company has repeatedly rejected.
Australia and Japan have also banned Huawei, while Canada and New Zealand are expected to follow suit. Many nations in Europe are yet to take a settlement, while South Korea, Indonesia, Russia, Malaysia, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia have embraced Huawei.
5G is the next age of wireless technology and will increase data speeds and move the Internet of Things, with the potential to make radical shifts in agriculture, construction, healthcare, and education.
In a report to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the outfit alleged that there was enough evidence leading to the doubt that Chinese companies revel in collecting sensitive data from devices and equipment they ship.
Last month, telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had told the government would designate airwaves to all telecom service providers for the actions. India will also not prevent any devices supplier.
The position spelled relief for Chinese telecom equipment maker Huawei, which challenges western gear makers such as Ericsson, and is facing barriers in the US. Many nations, however, have passed their telecom service providers to adopt Chinese gears. Now, India has also shown its reluctance to keep any firm out of the 5G trials. Huawei’s gear is said to be more affordable and more cost-efficient for domestic telecom firms.
The US has also declared that Huawei’s owners have solid links with the Chinese military, a statement that the company has refused. The US has been urging other countries from relying on the Chinese telecom member for their 5G networks.
Last month, the department of telecommunications (DoT) also supported the prices for the spectrum auction listed to be taken by April. Of the 8,300 megahertz (MHz) of airwaves the state plans to offer, 6,050MHz have been designated for 5G. The link allocation for 5G of 3,300-3,600MHz has been valued at ₹492 crores per megahertz. In June last year, DoT had said entities exploring the experimental spectrum to handle 5G field trials will be awarded one-year to do so for a one-time fee of ₹5,000 per case.