The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) will consult with the Home Ministry and the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) before taking a final call on allowing Chinese telecom major Huawei to take part in the upcoming 5G spectrum-based field trials, an official source said here.
"It is a security issue not a telecom or technology one, Home Ministry will have to be in the loop and also the PMO whose views are very crucial on matters relating security of the system or country," the official said.
"The call on such a decision will have to be with detailing and due consultation. We will also have to see worldwide how the issue has been handled by the governments wherever Huawei is operating. It's a larger call than just an equipment supply," he added.
The government has constituted a committee headed by the Principal Scientific Advisor, to decide on Huawei's participation in the 5G trials.
According to the source, the panel's recommendations will be communicated to the Home Ministry and the PMO to take a holistic view of the issue.
The new Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has said in a recent briefing: "There are security issues…it is not only a matter of technology, where their participation in 5G is concerned."
"Participation of 5G is not conditional upon the trial being started. Whether a particular company is allowed to participate or not is a complex question including security issues," he had pointed," he said.
Huawei has been seeking clarity from the ministry on whether it would be allowed to participate in the field trials along with a telecom operator.
In October last year, the Shenzen-based Huawei said it had been invited by the DoT to participate in the discussions on 5G trials. Another Chinese major, ZTE, however, was not invited.
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