The Indian government has reportedly stalled on approving imports of Wi-Fi modules from China, causing Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo and Lenovo to delay smartphone launches in the country for months.

Reuters reported, citing information from two industry sources, that the Communication Ministry Wireless Planning and Coordination (WPC) of India had been withholding approval of numerous imports from China, such as electronic devices including smartphones, smartwatches and laptops containing Wi-Fi modules.

While China was a target, more than 80 applications are in limbo, also affecting companies from the US and Korea, which have been pending since November, said a source.

The move is in line with a tougher stance by the government on Chinese-made technology and new tougher rules on imports set in 2019.

India and China have been at loggerheads due to geopolitical issues since June 2020, which has spilled into the technology sector. News of the import delay follows India stepping up its campaign against vendors Huawei and ZTE, ruling the companies would not take part in upcoming 5G trials.

Aside from that, there is a push by the government to promote smartphone manufacturing in India.

For the Chinese companies cited, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo and Lenovo consider India to be a major market, given the high smartphone penetration in the country, and ongoing delays would no doubt represent a major blow.