Do not mix geopolitical and corporate issues: COAI

NEW DELHI: As the government mulls action to keep Chinese equipment vendors out of telecom infrastructure, industry body Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) said on Thursday that geopolitical issues — under the purview of the government — should be kept separate from corporate decisions.
COAI, whose members include operators such as Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Reliance Jio, further said that so far, the government has not mandated exclusion of any vendors’ equipment from private operator networks.
However, when government makes laws, companies are “duty-bound” to comply with them, it added. “Geopolitical issues are the provenance of the government and such decisions are distinct; and should ideally be kept separate from commercial decisions which are the provenance of companies,”it said.