India instructs two state firms not to use China telecoms gear
India has instructed two of its state-run telecom operators to utilise locally-made telecom gear over Chinese equipment for the upgrade of their mobile networks to 4G. This development joins a boycott of Chinese companies following the killing of twenty (20) Indian soldiers by Chinese forces at the Himalayan border in the worst clash since 1967.
India last year announced an $8billion plan which included telecom network upgrades to aid local operators Bharat Sanchar Nigam and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam. This ban may also include private telecom operators like Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea who also leverage Chinese telecom equipment and can drive up costs due to limited local telecom equipment manufacturing expertise.
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