India to slowly phase out Huawei and other Chinese vendors from its telecoms network, FT reports

India is gradually phasing out Chinese vendors from its telecoms networks amid rising tensions between the world’s most populous countries following deadly border clashes, according to a Financial Times report.

The move includes Huawei Technologies, but rather than an outright ban on the company like some other nations have done, the India government is more likely to quietly remove existing equipment from the Chinese tech giant, the FT reported.

India’s telecoms department has already prohibited 5G testing with Chinese vendors and the administration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is very wary about Chinese investment in sensitive infrastructure, according to the report.

However, New Delhi is unlikely to formally ban Huawei or other Chinese equipment companies in case it provokes a tough response from Beijing, the FT report quoted a senior government official as saying, adding that the thinking of the government was “Let’s do tough rather than talk tough.”

A spokesperson for Huawei said the company “does not comment on speculation”.

India, the world’s second largest mobile market with 850 million users, allowed Huawei to participate in 5G trials earlier this year.