The government's endorsement is in line with its ban on Chinese tech that came into force following Indo-China border skirmishes last year. The Indian government on July 28 endorsed a proposal by the Open-RAN forum to have default security standards in telecom gear built under O-RAN standards. The endorsement was first reported by the Economic Times. Open-RAN is a technology stack for telecom operators encouraged by governments around the world seeking to either detach themselves from reliance on Chinese tech, or from paying steep prices for proprietary equipment altogether, for 5G networks. "As far as the Indian government's stand is concerned, we welcome the proposal of the O-RAN Forum, and we confirm that it is in keeping with the commitment made by our leaders on March 12 this year to co-operate on the critical technologies of the future to ensure that innovation is consistent with a free, open, inclusive and resilient Indo-Pacific," Lt. Gen. Dr. Rajesh Pant, National Cyber Security Coordinator, said during the Quad Open RAN Forum. Why it matters? The Indian government and Indian tech companies have supported the development of O-RAN which has emerged as a collaborative solution to the two problems that arise when revamping the telecom equipment landscape for 5G: eliminating reliance on Chinese tech without driving telcos' costs up dramatically — a high priority, considering that 5G networks generally rely on a larger number of transmitters of a smaller size and reach, driving up costs significantly. Open standards like O-RAN would also help the…
