Indian government tells telecoms to avoid buying Chinese hardware

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By IAN ALLEN | intelNews.org |
The Indian government has asked the country’s telecommunications companies to “refrain from buying Chinese telecommunications equipment”, because they may be used by Beijing to spy on India. The request was reportedly delivered to Indian telecommunications industry representatives by officials from India’s Department of Telecommunications, in a closed-door meeting earlier this week. Indian media report that the Department’s request has no legal backing, but is simply a call for Indian telecommunications providers to “self-regulate”. But the government is said to be working on official guidelines to restrict the domestic use of telecommunications hardware and software originating from countries considered “unfriendly” to India, including Pakistan, China and Egypt. Some industry observers have expressed fears that the pending restrictions will severely hinder the growth of India’s rapidly rising telecommunications sector. Last week, Indian security agencies told the Department of Telecommunications that they need access to missed calls because “anti-social elements” may be using the system to communicate without actually making a call. Last month, India’s Intelligence Bureau asked for all VOIP (internet-based) calls in the country to be blocked until it figures out a mechanism to track them. It also said it wants access to the content of all mobile phone calls in the country. Finally, last September, spying concerns prompted India’s state-owned telecommunications service provider, Bharat Sanchar Nigam, to drop Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei from its list of equipment suppliers. The same company, which is also active in Australia, is currently under investigation by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), because of its rumored links to China’s intelligence establishment.