Huawei, ZTE to come under scanner, as DoT frames stricter guidelines

Chinese telecom equipment manufacturers Huawei and ZTE may face tough time ahead in the Indian telecom industry, as the Department of Telecommunication prepares a new proposal for the Government that would make it mandatory for all the telcos to get all telecom equipments checked by Telecom Engineering Centre (TEC).

Both these companies have been criticized for their alleged involvement in spying related issues across the world. Very recently, the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT) has told the Department of Telecom (DoT) to exclude these companies from the Rs 20,000-crore National Optic Fibre Network (NOFN) project. The State-run research & development organisation was of the view that the Chinese companies should not be allowed to participate in the NFON project, as they have been involved in several spying and hacking related issues across the globe.

Earlier, the intelligence Bureau (IB) had also raised concerns that telecom equipments supplied by these Chinese manufacturers may pose a threat to India’s security. Not only India, but the U.S has also lashed out these players over security issues. Last month, a U.S Congressional committee said that Huawei and ZTE posed a security threat to the country and should not allowed participating in any communication related project. Huawei roped in John Suffolk in August last year in a quest to change perceptions about the company being a security threat.