TSDSI vs telcos & gear vendors: Dispute over local 5G standard to delay service roll out in India?

NEW DELHI: A dispute has broken out between India’s telecom standards body and the private industry, including telecom operators, equipment vendors and chipmakers over the development of local standards for 5G, which some fear could delay roll out of the next-generation technology.

Telecom industry body Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has blamed the Telecommunications Standards Development Society, India (TSDSI) of pushing for modifications which don’t add much value to the already approved local specifications of the global 5G standards. This is also being done without proper discussions with stakeholders, the association alleged.

It added that the TSDSI had not even followed the protocol to take the matter with the 3GPP — a global organisation focused on preparing specifications for mobile communications systems, including the 5G technology — and had instead approached the UN telecom body, ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R).