Curbs on foreign firms in ‘strategic areas’ likely

The government is contemplating the idea of bringing under its scrutiny foreign players participating in certain ‘strategic areas’, such as putting in place telecom infrastructure or construction projects in sensitive parts of the country. “Several countries, including the US and even parts of Europe, have such curbs where certain sectors or projects are out of bounds for overseas entities given the sensitivities involved,” a source familiar with the move said.

The move comes at a time when the Centre is weighing the option of allowing Chinese telecom major Huawei to participate in 5G trials, amid pressure to keep the the world’s largest 5G equipment maker out of the reckoning due to security concerns.