Bangalore: The department of telecommunications (DoT) said it may issue new guidelines to Bharti Airtel Ltd, Vodafone Group Plc.’s Indian unit and other carriers because of security concerns.

DoT’s secretary Siddhartha Behura denied newspaper reports that the rules are aimed at a specific country. The government has asked telecom companies to avoid using equipment from Chinese vendors, the ‘Business Standard’ and ‘The Economic Times’ both reported on 29 August.

It is not necessarily related to Chinese companies, Behura said in a telephone interview. The department has held discussions with Bharti, Tata Teleservices Ltd, NTT DoCoMo Inc.’s Indian partner, and other operators, the two companies said. The government is expected to brief the industry on the guidelines in the next three to four weeks, Bharti’s chief executive officer Manoj Kohli said over the telephone. Our position has always been very clear, that we will be fully compliant with all the guidelines, Kohli said.