Bharti chairman Sunil Mittal says India should allow Huawei in 5G

Bharti Enterprises chairman Sunil Mittal said that India should allow Chinese telecom equipment maker Huawei for deploying 5G technology, while adding that the country should have the grip.

He added however, that India will take a decision on their own keeping its relationship with China in mind and the larger geopolitical context.

“My view is that Huawei should be in play, I really think that they should be in play. India must use this leverage,” Mittal said Thursday, at the India Economic Summit in New Delhi.

“There are a lot of issues in China as well and India must take that advantage of that unlike many western countries…. I would have this leverage today because it’s important,” Mittal added.

He added that the pressure from the US has lead to Huawei opening up its technology for development by other countries, which he said should be capitalized on by Indian companies like TCS or Wipro.

The US government through a recent envoys has urged that New Delhi and Washington should “work together only with trusted sources” when deploying 5G, implying that Chinese telecom gear makers such as Huawei should be kept out of partnering in next generation telecom technology.

“Huawei is part of the positive initiatives to improve India’s network security and capability which goes beyond just 5G,” its India CEO Jay Chen had said recently.

Mittal said that the advisory from the US was well taken, and that the Indian government will decide on its own. “India will decide for themselves. Their relationship with China in a larger context.”