No blanket ban on import of China-made telecom equipment

Decision will be taken on a case-by-case basis

May 01, 2010 01:33 am | Updated 06:48 am IST - NEW DELHI

The Central Government on Friday said there was no blanket ban on import of Chinese telecom equipment and any such decision was taken in each and individual cases.

“I don't think there is any blanket ban on import of any Chinese telecom equipment,” Union Home Secretary G. K. Pillai said when asked whether any restriction has been imposed on the import of China-made telecom equipment.

He said any such decision was taken case-by-case taking into account activities of individual company. “It depends on each and individual company. We look at the security implications...,” Mr. Pillai said. The Department of Telecom also made it clear that no blanket ban has been imposed on any company.

The DoT said the telecom network service providers, when they enter into licence agreements with the government, have to provide details of equipment to be procured in a prescribed proforma.

“The DoT, thereafter, refers the matter to the Ministry of Home Affairs for security clearance. Whichever company gets security clearance is allowed to procure the equipment,” a Telecom Ministry spokesperson said.

Special Correspondent from New Delhi writes:

Huawei's concern

Huawei, following media reports regarding ban on import of Chinese telecom equipment due to security concerns, on Friday urged the government to frame a “fair and non-discriminatory policy” to address the issue.

Denying that the company has not received any official communication on the matter, it expressed its concerns over the development. “Huawei is willing to cooperate with all the relevant Indian government agencies to help solve their concerns on the security issue in the interest and growth of the overall Indian telecom Industry, as internationally, Huawei's products and solutions adhere and comply with global telecom standards and regulations and are being used in telecom operators worldwide including 45 of the top 50 global telecom operators in over 120 countries,” it said.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.