Huawei is the Chinese telecom giant that makes global headlines, more so by making the news concerning the development of 5G technology. The corporation is an ambitious company bent on expanding its footprint in markets like India even as concerns about network security grow, especially in the US and Australia. Jay Chen, Huawei India CEO, speaking at an interview said that the company is ready for rolling out 5G in India-though they would start field trials within 20 days of getting approval from the Indian government.
This is a statement that Jay Chen has made at the most opportune time considering the discussion on Indians embracing 5G, a revolutionary technology that will change the face of industries and society. Confidently, he said, “The day we get approval from the DoT and spectrum is allotted, we can have a 5G trial up and running within 20 days.” This would position Huawei as one of the significant players in India’s 5G journey, despite the controversies surrounding the company internationally.
The promise of 5G technology in India
5G will prove to be the new and fabulous wireless communication technology that takes us into the next generation of devices. Unlike earlier generations, 5G is not only about speeding up the lives of smartphones. It has far more than that: safe interaction between different devices, including sensors and robots, but designed to connect vehicles and drones, among others. It is such a level of connectivity that opens the doors into industry-changing innovations based on sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, manufacturing, and warehousing.
For instance, in agriculture, there would be the use of moisture sensors which measure how wet the soil is and the weather at any one time to save water and increase yields. In healthcare, 5G can empower the use of robotics in operating theatres where surgeons can perform surgery from anywhere in the world. In the manufacturing industry, 5G-connected machines could mean the automation of the complex process, making those industries more efficient and competitive. The same would apply in logistics where 5G-enabled drones could make deliveries faster and more accurate.
Recognizing the potential, last year India’s government initiated an exercise by constituting a high-level panel to create a road map for the rollout of 5G in the country. While it is pretty clear that Huawei has aggressive 5G plans for India, it faces significant competition from other global players. For example, Swedish telecom giant Ericsson has already set up a testbed at IIT Delhi for 5G trials, and Huawei’s plans include the setting up of a testbed for 5G trials in the country in the near future.
In an interview, Chen stated that “We are speaking to the industry, the government, and academia, and in all likelihood, we should be able to set up a lab for 5G trials by June this year.” Huawei’s proactive approach indicates that it is not only prepared to deploy 5G but is also actively engaging with key stakeholders to ensure a smooth rollout in the future.
Growing 5G market in India:
Indeed, India is seen as a major market as the global race to 5G heats up. In fact, Huawei expects India to be the second largest 5G market in the world after China. Use cases like facial recognition and video surveillance are to emerge as critical applications when the technology rolls out in the country.
Chen of India opined that India enjoys an advantage over regions like Europe and North America, which have been slow in adopting 5G technology. For as far as 5G is concerned, Europe and North America are relatively late. The Asian countries are taking the lead on 5G. Countries like China, South Korea, and Japan have already taken a giant leap forward in the deployment of 5G. India will follow the same pattern.
However, these positive predictions about the future of 5G in India do not seem to have translated to a positive sign for Huawei. Instead, Huawei faces a number of problems- the principal being international perceptions of security fears over its network and its relation with the Chinese government. Several of these concerns have led a few countries, including Australia, New Zealand, and the US, not to allow Huawei to roll out its equipment for its 5G networking. The fear is that Huawei’s telecom equipment could be used by Chinese intelligence for surveillance, which Huawei has denied repeatedly.
International Concerns and Huawei Reaction
The issue of network security surrounding Huawei is not something new. For the past couple of years, Huawei has been at the middle of the storm as governments across the world voiced their concerns over the company’s technology being used for espionage purposes. Despite the complete rejection of these claims by Huawei, several countries have banned or restricted Huawei’s involvement in their 5G networks.
For instance, in Australia and New Zealand, the governments have banned Huawei companies from furnishing equipment for 5G infrastructure outright. In the US, it even went further than banning Huawei because the US government threw criminal charges at the company with claims of money laundering, bank fraud, and theft of trade secrets.
Britain’s response has been mixed. Britain has not banned Huawei but consented to reduce the risks arising from its use of Huawei hardware in British 5G networks. According to the Financial Times, Britain believes it can control alleged security risks coming from Huawei’s gear-an approach that puts it at a different end compared with the US and its allies’ harder stance on the issue.
Meanwhile, Canada is yet to decide whether Huawei’s technology is indeed a matter of serious security risk. And that verdict may well lie in the review process-the result of which may determine whether Huawei will be involved in the rollout of 5G in Canada. All this abroad criticism has cast a shadow over the global ambitions of Huawei, and India now finds itself worried that it too may face similar hostility.
US has been actively lobbying against Huawei’s involvement in the 5G rollout in India. As Jay Chen candidly put it, “The US is lobbying against Huawei in India, and everybody knows that.” The US made it clear to its allies that working with Huawei may be straining their partnership, especially in terms of security cooperation. In February 2024, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned allies that equipment from Huawei would make it harder for the US to cooperate with them on matters of crucial security.
This warning introduces another layer of complexity to the India’s decision-making process. India has always maintained strategic relationships with both the US and China, and 5G may be the litmus test for India’s balancing act. India’s government has clearly said that it would look very carefully at these network security concerns the Chinese vendors raise before taking any decision on permitting Huawei to participate in 5G trials.
“We believe that the DoT is trying to take all care in examining cybersecurity matters,” said Chen. He added, “Huawei expects that global initiatives for setting uniform cybersecurity standards will eventually offer a basis for the evaluation of the security of telecom equipment, including Huawei’s products.
As Huawei is seen positioning itself to become a major player in India’s 5G rollout, it faces a gamut of challenges, technical as well as political. According to the company, once it gets government approval, it is pretty certain that it could roll out 5G technology pretty quickly. It is an important market and holds huge potential for the company. But it is against this global concern-from especially the US and their alliances-over the issues of network security and espionage that complicates Huawei’s ambitions in India.
This decision will have far-reaching implications for Huawei but also for India’s future in 5G. If it gets cleared, Huawei would be able to drastically speed up 5G rollout in the country. However, if security concerns take precedence, India will have little choice but to look elsewhere for its 5G infrastructure and thus postpone this critical technology. Either way, the India 5G race is one that deserves to be watched in the months to come.