TEMA urges government to use locally produced equipment for boosting connectivity in sensitive border areas

In a significant development, Telecom Equipment Manufacturers’ Association (TEMA) has urged the Indian government to use locally produced products in order to provide telecom connectivity in the border as well as the country’s sensitive areas. The domestic telecom gear makers body has also requested the central government to ‘immediately give directions to BSNL’ to cover unconnected areas in regions, including North East, Left Wing affected areas and unconnected hilly areas

The association cited that the perspective of national security behind the request. This development comes in the wake of rising security tensions around the use of telecom gears made by Chinese giants like Huawei and ZTE. The Indian government’s Bharat Net project, which has investment plans of nearly Rs 40,000 crore, ought to be granted to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited for providing connectivity in sensitive areas, the body added.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in July 2019 had said that the Central Government would spend more than Rs 100 lakh crores in building modern infrastructure and up-gradation over the next 5 years.

“Even if 4-5% of this is taken for telecom projects, it would be around Rs 4,00,000- 5,00,000 crores. We estimate at least 50% of this, i.e. about Rs 2,00,000-2,50,000 crores should be coming from domestic manufacturers, cumulative over the next 5 years,” TEMA said.

“Indian manufacturing sector is looking forward to supporting BSNL and Bharat Net in providing connectivity to unconnected areas. The immediate action of making this network by Make In India will strengthen the domestic manufacturing sector by revenue of about Rs 20,000 crores,” said Sandeep Aggarwal, Vice Chairman TEMA.