India Will Remove Huawei From Its Mobile Network

India will remove Chinese brand Huawei from its mobile network at a time when tensions are growing between China and India over the disputed territory along the Himalayan border. The Indian government has concerns over Chinese investment in the networking infrastructure in the country, according to the Financial Times that cited industry executives and government officials.

It appears that the Indian government has chosen not to straightforwardly ban the Chinese company but instead quietly remove Huawei’s equipment from its network.

A senior government official said:

“When it comes to big public contracts and critical infrastructure, we would prefer non-Chinese companies. That message has gotten through to Indian business.”

Indian tech giant Reliance Jio is working on its own 5G equipment while Bharti Airtel is partnering with Ericsson. At the same time, BSNL is ceasing partnerships with Chinese vendors and Vodafone India met with Huawei on 5G trials.

The report from the Financial Times comes days after a report surfaced, which said ZTE and Huawei are expected to be left out of the 5G rollout plans in India.

Huawei, BSNL, Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, Vodafone India as well as the Press Bureau of India did not respond immediately to a comment request.

The dispute at the Himalayan Galwan Valley has been existing for years with troops from both countries guarding their territory and engaging in several small encounters. But earlier this year, the tension suddenly peaked when a fight between the troops along the border resulted in the deaths of at least 20 Indian soldiers. Indian people have since protested against the Chinese government and demanded a boycott on Chinese products.

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