Govt security concerns may hurt global telecom vendors

In what could be a jolt to global telecom vendors, the government today asked mobile operators to entrust network control only with Indian players and prefer domestic equipment in the interest of national security.

Equipment from Chinese vendors are a strict no no in border states, Telecom Ministry told chief executive officers of mobile service providers, including Airtel, Reliance, BSNL and Vodafone.

Telecom Secretary Siddartha Behura, who chaired the meeting, asked operators to deploy equipment from multiple vendors and should reduce dependability on single supplier.

Sources said that Behura informed the CEOs that all these steps would be notified as part of guidelines as an effort to step up nation's security.

Today's meeting with the CEOs was convened at the behest of Ministry of Home Affairs.

Earlier in the day, MoS for Telecom Sachin Pilot also said that the government was looking into the issue of security threats from Chinese telecom equipment makers.

"Whatever prudent decision is jointly recommended by Ministries of Home Affairs and Communication and IT, the government will not hesitate to take it as no government can ever compromise on its internal as well as external security," Pilot said.