Corporate decisions separate from geopolitical issues, says COAI amid India-China standoff

New Delhi: As the telecom department gears up to ask private telcos to gradually lower their dependence on Chinese equipment, industry body COAI on Thursday said geopolitical issues are the under the purview of the government and should be kept separate from corporate decisions. Cellular Operators’ Association of India (COAI) — whose members include private telcos such as Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea — further said that so far, the government had not mandated exclusion of any vendors’ equipment from private operator networks.

When government makes laws, companies are “duty-bound” to comply with them, it said.

“Geopolitical issues are the provenance of the government and such decisions are distinct; and should ideally be kept separate from commercial decisions which are the provenance of companies,” COAI Director General, Rajan Mathews told .