Ravi Shankar Prasad calls on Indian telcos to adopt Indian core for 5G networks

Communications & IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Thursday pushed telcos to adopt Indian suppliers for the 5G core – or brain – of their 5G networks, and added that India should expedite introducing the next-generation technology with locally made telecom equipment.
Speaking at a National Informatics Center Services Incorporated (NICSI) event on Thursday, the minister said that the test bed for 5G was ready and that the government would soon grant permits for trials.
“We lagged behind in 2G, 3G and 4G but in 5G India should move at a speed faster than the world with made in India 5G. We have made a test bed and we are soon going to permit it,” Prasad said. “Core of the network should be Indian.”
All communications on a 5G network are encrypted with keys stored in the core or brain of the network, implying they cannot be read by base stations. This makes the core critical from a data security point of view. India is in the process of preparing a list of trusted sources for acquiring gear for telecom networks, including for core, with an emphasis on encouraging Indian network gear vendors. India is preparing such a list amid national security concerns, especially in the wake of allegations of cyber-snooping by Chinese players such as Huawei and ZTE, on behalf of the Chinese state.