Budget 2024: Upcoming 4G, 5G network roll outs to get costlier with customs duty hike

Upcoming 4G and 5G network rollouts are set to get costlier with finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposing a 5% increase in the basic customs duty (BCD) of printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) to 15% in Budget 2024-25.

This is since nearly 80% of PCBAs — a vital telecom gear input – used in ubiquitous network equipment such as mobile base stations are imported, while the dependence on imported PCBAs used in optical fibre network gear, mobile switching centres (MSCs) and routers too is over 50%, say senior industry executives.