A top US lawmaker has welcomed India's decision to not allow Chinese telecom companies to conduct 5G trials in the nation, a move seen as a strong message sent to Beijing by New Delhi.

In a statement,  House Foreign Affairs Committee Lead Republican and China Task Force Chairman Michael McCaul said: "India’s decision to exclude Huawei and ZTE from its 5G trials is good news for the people of India and the world. People’s Republic of China law requires any Chinese company – including Huawei and ZTE – to work for the Chinese Communist Party if asked."

"It’s a risk that can’t be mitigated unless these companies are excluded from our networks, and I’m glad that India has recognized this threat. India has once again proven why it is a global leader in the fight against security threats posed by CCP-controlled technology," the lawmaker said.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Government of India, approved on Tuesday, permissions to Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) for conducting trials for use and applications of 5G technology.

The Indian government granted approval to over a dozen firms which spanned across several nations, except China, IBNS said. 

The applicant TSPs include Bharti Airtel Ltd., Reliance JioInfocomm Ltd., Vodafone Idea Ltd. and MTNL.

These TSPs have tied up with original equipment manufacturers and technology providers which are Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung and C-DOT.  In addition, Reliance JioInfocomm Ltd. will also be conducting trials using its own indigenous technology, read a government statement.

The permissions have been given by DoT as per the priorities and technology partners identified by TSPs themselves.

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

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

The duration of the trials, at present, is for a period of 6 months. This includes a time period of 2 months for procurement and setting up of the equipment.