China's Huawei Technologies announced it is all set to engage in a "no-backdoor" contract with India to mitigate security issues, the regional head of the telecommunications company said, as China buckles down to work on its latest 5G networks launch.
According to Telecoms Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, India, the second-biggest mobile market in the world, will conduct an airwaves sale for 5G tech before March next year.
Huawei, which has a 28 percent stake in the global telecommunications equipment sector, is closely involved with India to lay down its stance on 5G technologies, network security, and Chinese data-gathering policies, Jay Chen, its India unit's chief executive officer, told Reuters late Monday during the sidelines of country's Mobile Congress.
Right from the start, the Chinese have been confident that their Indian counterparts will welcome them with open arms. Chen said: "I have confidence that the Indian market will welcome Huawei because I have contributed many things with our unique value." The Chinese tech executive said they are "ready to sign (a no-backdoor agreement)" with India.
Indian telecommunications companies Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea have used Huawei and its European competitors Nokia and Ericsson to develop their 2G, 3G, and 4G networks and have previously emphasized the importance of getting all three players in India to sustain rivalry, price, and quality of service.
According to Chen, if India is amenable to their proposition, they are willing to "have the source codes in an escrow account." Chen also emphasized that Huawei is also interested in ramping up its output of telecoms equipment to cater to the local market.
A possible row over Huawei's involvement in India's 5G drive could intensify friction between the two countries at a time when crucial attempts were being exerted by both parties to make sure that their long-standing territorial differences do not become worse.
China has requested Indian telecoms officials not to bar Huawei from opening a business in their country, warning that Indian companies operating in China may have dire consequences, Reuters reported.
India has yet to start testing of its 5G capability and has not decided to permit or bar Huawei from the trial runs in the midst of a US-led campaign to shut down the Chinese telecommunications community, saying its equipment includes "back doors" that would allow the country to spy on other nations. Beijing rejects a project like this exists.
Meanwhile, Chen said Europe can't balance data protection and data usage, and all other countries need to learn a lesson from the case. He said that 5G is not going to be driven by individual entities, but companies and cross segments like manufacturing and healthcare.
Chen added that because of its population, which uses data services, India has a special power. "We concentrate not only on 5G but also outside 5G and Artificial Intelligence."
