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Should #India allow #Huawei a role in building the country’s #5G network? @AKanisetti and I have tried to provide a roadmap for the government in our new discussion document. takshashila.org.in/takshashila-re… 
We argue that India’s decision on Huawei in the context of 5G has strategic implications and should not be looked at only from the prism of economic benefits.
India needs to think about Huawei’s checkered history and linkages with the #Chinese Party-state, the potential of and threats from 5G and the country's position in the world of tech geopolitics.
New Delhi’s decision should also come after a threat assessment at operational and strategic levels. The former refers to threats like espionage, denial of services, disruptions, etc. The latter pertains to the potential fallout of the deepening US-China tech competition.
So what should India do? In a nutshell, we recommend the following 1.) Decisions on new technologies increasingly have strategic dimensions. Therefore, the Cabinet Committee on Security must have the final say in these matters.
2.) Government of India should publish a whitelist of governments and vendors identifying trusted partners in the telecom and cybersecurity domains.
3.) India’s 5G network infrastructure must not be overly reliant on any one vendor. Being locked in to one vendor has significant economic, security, and political costs.
4.) While there should be no outright ban on Chinese vendors, their participation should be restricted, conditional, and tightly regulated.
5.) The size of the Indian market must be used as a key source of leverage in order to achieve strategic objectives.
For more details on the recommendations, do read the report, which is accessible here: takshashila.org.in/wp-content/upl… - Do share your thoughts/feedback with us.
