Tech firms, telcos urge DoT to carefully scrutinize Huawei plan to overhaul internet protocols

Tech firms, telcos urge DoT to carefully scrutinize Huawei plan to overhaul internet protocols

• By Staff Writer

Tech firms, telcos urge DoT to carefully scrutinize Huawei plan to overhaul internet protocols

KOLKATA: Tech companies and mobile operators have cautioned the telecom department not to implement in a hurry a proposal from China’s Huawei to overhaul surviving agreement and systems governing internet operations in India in the run-up to 5G deployments.

The Broadband India Forum (BIF), which represents Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Qualcomm, Intel, Hughes and Amazon, among others, has urged the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to run a close check on all associated data privacy and data security risks, regulatory concerns, cost implications and internet infrastructure governance issues before taking a firm view on Huawei’s proposal.

“The existing IP framework is still working and there are no credible reasons to believe that they will not continue to adapt to future needs,” BIF president T V Ramachandran said in a letter to the DoT dated September 16, seen by ET.

Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), which constitutes India's private telcos, decrease to comment.

But a senior telco industry executive, backed the view, saying “there is no immediate need for DoT to overhaul India’s internet framework nd systems as our surviving planning/agreement – IPv4 and IPv6 - have already addressed some of the concerns flagged by Huawei around internet root inadequacy in the next-gen networks context, and will get addressed more comprehensively going forward”.

The DoT had recently sought industry views on a year-old Huawei proposal made in the International Telecom Union (ITU), calling on nations, including India, to migrate to a new internet protocol (IP) framework and planning  to manage the compound needs (including security) of next-gen telecom networks that will encompass cutting-edge 5G technologies such as connected smart IoT (internet of things) devices, self-driving cars, holograms to AI.

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