US Consul-General Joel Reifman on Tuesday suggested that like the United Kingdom, India should adopt regulations not to allow Chinese vendors in 5G networks and assured the country of US support.
Describing Chinese companies such as Huawei and ZTE as ‘untrusted vendors’, the Consul-General commended India’s steps to secure telecommunications infrastructure from these Chinese companies, and recalled the UK’s recent policy which would enable a reversal of permitting Huawei in 5G networks, and replacing its equipment by 2027. He said that the Trump administration was giving secure 5G network top priority. “We applaud this decision and recommend that India consider adopting similar laws and regulations. As a key ally, the United States will support your government in eliminating the national security risk of untrusted vendors in your critical infrastructure system.”
Counsul-General Reifman reiterated the cooperation between the USA’s Department of Homeland Security and India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology which facilitated the computer emergency teams that helped build India’s capacity to confront digital financial fraud. Governments of both countries were convening a bilateral Cyber Dialogue in September to identify new ways to secure digital infrastructure.
“This collaboration can be critical to defending against malicious actors such as those in Russia, which seek to hack companies working on vaccine research and development. Those in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, who continue to target our foreign financial sectors in their efforts to steal funds, and those in the People’s Republic of China, who seek to steal our intellectual property and trade secrets,” he said.
The Consul-General said that Telangana had set an example for the entire country in the domain of cyber security. “The State was one of the first to adopt a cyber security policy,” he said.
