“Following the US example! India plans to forcibly remove Chinese telecom equipment: the removal costs will reach 20.2 billion yuan”
The Indian government plans to assess the systematic removal and replacement of deployed Chinese telecommunications equipment on the grounds of national security, with potential costs reaching up to 20.2 billion yuan. The Home Ministry has commissioned the Telecommunications Ministry to investigate the usage and replacement costs of equipment from companies such as Huawei and ZTE. Although in 2021 the “trusted source” mechanism excluded Huawei and ZTE from the 5G market, existing equipment is still allowed to be used. This assessment focuses on this portion. Reliance Jio does not use Chinese equipment, while Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, and BSNL have deployed such equipment. Industry experts estimate that the cost of removing the Chinese software and hardware from these two operators alone amounts to 3 billion US dollars (approximately 20.2 billion yuan), and it is currently unclear whether the costs will be borne by the government or the operators. If this plan is implemented, in addition to re-purchasing, additional costs will arise from network renovation, deployment, and operation. India is not the first country to consider such a plan; the United States has implemented similar policies, and countries like the UK and Germany have also restricted or prohibited the use of Chinese telecommunications equipment. European telecommunications…