India should be free to choose 5G partners

The world envisages moving up to 5G mobile networks in the not-too-distant future. The networks have already become a battleground for the United States and China as 5G is seen as a major weapon in the war for military supremacy.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of things (IoT) are changing the way the modern world moves and cybersecurity has become most critical to safeguarding strategic interests. The greatest fear over the 5G networks seems to be their vulnerability to hacking. The United States' actions against the leading Chinese company in 5G tech — Huawei, the world's largest telecom equipment supplier — have led to a chain reaction with many other countries, including Australia and New Zealand, taking a stand on not allowing China the upper hand in controlling 5G networks, with possible espionage capabilities.

5G networks are so fast they can handle data at 10 gigabytes per second while offering rapid network response time. 5G is bound to be the bedrock of military technology. Considering all the implications, US President Donald Trump’s stand against Huawei is not to be scoffed at, it's more likely a deeply-thought-out strategy.

India may be forced to sit on the horns of a 5G dilemma as it has invited China to be one of the intending contractors for future networks. China has moved to allay Indian security concerns by offering tests at its new cyber security transparency centre in Brussels. An informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping is coming up in India in October and moves are already afoot to nudge India in the direction of allowing Chinese firms in among companies to develop the new networks. India has to keep in mind the delicate balance between areas of cooperation and the tension points in its China relationship before taking a call on 5G. The intervening period is too short for India to have to decide anything before the summit. The best way forward would be to take the tests in Belgium and weigh the national security risks against the pricing and the technology before taking a decision.

India must not be bullied into accepting the Chinese offer on 5G but there can be no harm in the subject coming up at the informal summit with President Xi. Considering the size of their economies, India-China relations are far too important to let just the business of developing 5G networks upset the balance. India, which did well in holding firm on Doklam until China relented, should not, however, allow the Sino-Pakistani entente to come in the way of a pragmatic decision on 5G. It is going to be the trickiest decision any country can take.

The latest technology has the capacity and speed to upend everything we have come to accept as evolved technology. And the commercial benefits would be phenomenal. India should be free to access it from anywhere or develop its own expertise.