Chinese players such as Huawei and ZTE do not figure among the firms approved on Tuesday by the Modi government for the six month trials for use and application of 5G technology.

“The applicant telecom service providers include Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea and MTNL. These TSPs have tied up with original equipment manufacturers and technology providers which are Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung and C-DOT,” the ministry of communications said in a release.

Reliance Jio will also conduct trials using its own indigenous technology.

Globally 61 countries have commercially launched the services, clearly indicating that the country seems to have failed to capitalise on the initial adaptor advantage of the technology because of delays on various fronts, including spectrum pricing.

Initially, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea had submitted proposals to carry out trials using Huawei’s technology. Later, they decided to conduct trials without using technologies from Chinese vendors.

The government had imposed restrictions on certain Chinese firms and apps and investment from that country after the clashes in the Galwan region. The latest move indicates that the government may bar Chinese companies from participating in 5G rollout too.

Telcos will have to conduct trials in rural and semi-urban settings also in addition to urban settings so that the benefit of 5G technology proliferates across the country and is not confined to urban areas.

The telecom department has granted the permissions according to the priorities and technology partners identified by telecom service providers themselves.

“The experimental spectrum is being given in various bands, which include the mid-band (3.2 GHz to 3.67 GHz), millimetre wave band (24.25 GHz to 28.5 GHz) and in Sub-Gigahertz band (700 GHz).”

The telecom companies will also be permitted to use the existing spectrum owned by them (800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2500 MHz) for conduct of 5G trials.