The Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) put the import of IT hardware, including laptops, PCs and servers, under the restricted category last month, calling for a licence. The notification, passed on August 3, was amended a day later, deferring implementation to November 1, giving the industry three months to recalibrate. The order, however, has led to fears of supply disruptions and price increases once the restrictions kick in.
Industry executives say that while the government has been successful in restricting Chinese players Huawei and ZTE from participating in Indias 5G rollout after adoption of the “trusted sources” approach, replicating the same for IT hardware wont be feasible. Thats because unlike telecom equipment, laptops/tablets are consumer devices.