India’s 5G foray hits Sino-US tussle wall

Sandeep Dikshit

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 19

India’s foray into 5G services has become a subject of an intense tug-of-war between nations rather than being a simple step up from 4G.

So far, India has approved 5G trials based on technologies from three companies—two European (Nokia and Ericsson) and one South Korean (Samsung). But waiting in the wings are the American Qualcomm and its bête noire Huawei and ZTE from China.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, due to arrive in India next week, has already fired a warning shot. A week back, he declared that the US is eager to help India establish secure communications networks, including 5G. Translated, he means India should not have 5G network about which the US has reservations as regards security or competition.

The next chapter will be played this month-end in Japan where US President Donald Trump and Japanese PM Shinzo Abe would like to discuss the 5G issue with PM Modi.

The worldwide attempt by the US to discourage others from dealing with Chinese 5G technology has touched Indian shores. The competition has been spiced up with so-far unproven allegations of a backwindow in Chinese products that may transmit data to Beijing.

A western 5G MNC official let the cat out of the bag when he cautioned against India accepting too many technologies: “India will lose economies of scale, thereby increasing the prices of networks and devices.” In other words, companies that get a foot in the Indian 5G sector first will reap the benefits.

However, sources said India has time on its side. Germany and Italy, the two early birds in commercialising 5G will not run the services till 2020. India’s mobile companies are also reeling under debts of Rs 7 lakh crore and lack the financial stamina to participate in costly 5G frequency auctions.

Sources said India’s strategy should be to ask for compulsory licensing from 5G vendors which are offering “Frand” (fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory) that are not  legally implementable. If and when security issues are sorted, technology transfer could be India’s terms for evading the Sino-US battlelines on 5G, sources said.