New Delhi, July 24 -- The government is looking to incentivise telecom operators for using indigenously designed and manufactured equipment, according to the draft National Telecom Policy (NTP), 2025.

The move could boost local gear makers such as Tejas Networks, HFCL, STL, and startups in the domain and level the playing field with global manufacturers, including Nokia, Ericsson, Samsung and Cisco.

Currently, private telecom operators largely rely on global companies to provide network equipment for rolling out their 5G services and expanding their 4 G network.

The proposal echoes a similar provision in the 2018 policy that saw little implementation, raising concerns about execution this time.

"Incentives for telecom operators to buy...