Amid a US push for a global ban on Huawei over “security issues” ahead of 5G adoption, India’s top telecom tycoon Sunil Bharti Mittal on Thursday threw his weight behind the Chinese firm, saying its products are “leading edge” and “superior” to rivals and asserted that the firm “should be in play”.

The US has blacklisted Huawei and is now persuading its allies to block the world’s largest provider of networking gear and the No. 2 smartphone maker from their new mobile networks.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum here, US secretary of commerce Wilbur Ross said the Trump administration’s opposition to the Chinese company was not about protectionism but “genuine security risks” that go beyond front-end equipment, percolating to even areas such as upgrades and maintenance.

US concerns are based on its desire and hope “that our geopolitical partner India doesn’t inadvertently subject itself to an untoward security risk”, he said.

The risk, said Ross, is not only on the front-end equipment, but every time vendor interaction is to take place for maintenance or upgrades.

When his statement was tossed to Mittal, who was also on the same panel, the Bharti Enterprise chairman backed Huawei’s technology prowess to the hilt, saying the company has in the past 10-12 years become “extremely good” with its products.

“To a point where I can safely say their products in 3G and 4G that we have experienced, are significantly to Ericsson and Nokia. I use all 3 of them,” Mittal said.

Stating that he had been surprised by Huawei’s technological advancements, Mittal noted that the Chinese company had been able to take its products to a level where it was leading edge.

“The power consumption is a fraction of the Europeans, the footprint is small if you have to put it on a tower and they have powerful leading features... They are clearly leading edge. Now, whether they compromised some American IPs (internet protocols), I don’t know,” he said.

India will take the US’ advisory carefully, Mittal said, but added that New Delhi will have to decide for itself its relationship with China.

Asked specifically about his views on Huawei and which way India should lean on this issue, Mittal said, “My view is that they should be in play. I feel they should be in play. lndia must use this as leverage. Unlike opening up to many other western companies and then having very little leverage, I would rather have this leverage today because it is an important part.”