India has told two state-run telecom firms to use locally made rather than Chinese telecom equipment to upgrade their mobile networks to 4G, a senior government source said on Thursday.
New Delhi’s move comes amid a backlash against companies from China after Chinese forces this week killed 20 Indian soldiers in a Himalayan border dispute.
The instruction is aimed at Chinese telecom gear makers Huawei Technologies Co (華為) and ZTE Inc (中興), the source said, after India last year announced an almost US$8 billion plan, some of which was earmarked for network upgrades, to help loss-making operators Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL).
Photo: Reuters
“Since that plan will be funded by public money they [BSNL and MTNL] should try to ensure they buy made-in-India equipment,” said the government source, who declined to be named as the order was not public.
The Indian Department of Telecommunications did not respond to a request for comment. The head of BSNL and MTNL did not answer calls or messages seeking comment.
Huawei declined to comment and ZTE, which potentially risks losing tens of millions of dollars in orders, did not respond to a request for comment. The Chinese embassy in Delhi also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Chinese companies face a public backlash after the worst clash since 1967 between China and India, where anti-Chinese sentiment is already strong.
Beijing has also come under fire over the coronavirus outbreak, with social media campaigns urging Indians to boycott Chinese goods.
The effective ban on the use of Chinese network gear could extend to private telecoms like Bharti Airtel Ltd and Vodafone Idea Ltd, which also use it in their networks.
“There will probably be some communication... maybe not a cease and desist, but a plea to avoid using Chinese equipment in core networks,” said a telecom industry source, who has worked closely with Chinese telecom equipment makers.
Any ban could increase costs for Indian telecoms, which would have to rely more on European firms like Nokia Oyj and Ericsson AB, as India has limited domestic expertise in telecom equipment manufacturing.
Tesla Inc temporarily halted some production at its auto assembly plant in California because of problems with its supply chain, but work has begun to resume, CEO Elon Musk told employees in an e-mail on Thursday. “We are experiencing some parts supply issues, so took the opportunity to bring Fremont production down for a few days to do equipment upgrades and maintenance,” Musk said in an all-staff message seen by Bloomberg. The factory was “back up and running as of yesterday,” and would rapidly ramp up to full production of Model 3 and Model Y cars “over the next several days,”
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is expected to post a 25 percent year-on-year increase in sales in the first quarter of this year to US$12.91 billion, up from US$10.31 billion a year earlier, as its production is at full capacity, market advisory firm TrendForce Corp said in a note last week. The increase would help TSMC cement its leadership in the industry by taking a 56 percent market share in the global pure wafer foundry business, TrendForce said. Its forecast was in line with TSMC’s estimate in January, which pointed to a range of US$12.7 billion to US$13 billion for the
MULTI-USE: The arrangement of seats in future vehicles would be different, allowing passengers to do everything they do at home, the CEO of the firm’s EV platform said Electric vehicles (EVs) developed on a Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) platform would be built like “a smartphone on a different platform,” Jack Cheng (鄭顯聰), chief executive officer of the Hon Hai-initiated MIH Open Platform Alliance, said on Saturday. It would be the ultimate goal to make vehicles built on the platform an extension of the driver’s home, he said during an online presentation. The alliance aims to provide resources to automakers and boost Taiwan’s EV development, with a vision to make an EV its owner’s “second home,” Cheng said. “Whatever they can do in their home, they will be able
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) was on Thursday set to sell local currency bonds, as it prepared for a spending blitz amid a global chip shortage. The world’s largest contract chipmaker planned to price about NT$16 billion (US$565.25 million) of notes in three parts in an auction, though the actual issuance size might change. The manufacturer would have to contend with a recent rise in rates globally that has sent many corporate bond yields up from record lows in the past few weeks. The debt offering comes at a promising time for the semiconductor industry as the world scrambles its way
RSS