India-China face-off: Stop using Chinese equipment, Govt tells telcos

The government is set to direct telecom firms like BSNL, MTNL, and their subsidiaries to avoid using Chinese equipment as border tension between the two countries escalates. Additionally, the Department of Telecom has directed all the entities that are under its purview to purchase "Made in India" manufactured goods as part of the government's push for "Aatma Nirbhar Bharat".

The Telecom Department is also considering measures to urge private telecom operators to bring down their dependence on Chinese-made telecom equipment.

The Ladakh-border tension has stirred anti-China sentiments in India.  Yesterday, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has released a list of more than 500 Chinese products to be boycotted. The trader association stated that their objective was to reduce the import of Chinese finished goods by $13 billion or about Rs 1 lakh crore by December 2021.

Earlier on Wednesday, Chinese handset maker Oppo cancelled the livestream launch of its flagship 5G smartphone in the country amid protests calling for the boycott of Chinese products in India.

Notably, four of the five top smartphone brands in India (Xiaomi, Vivo, Realme and Oppo) are from China and account for almost 76 per cent share of smartphones shipped in India in the quarter ended March 2020. South Korea's Samsung, which ranked third and cornered 15.6 per cent share of shipment in the said quarter, is the only non-Chinese firm in the top five tallies.

(With PTI inputs)

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