Trusted Source Mandate

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has urged for a ‘trusted source’ approval mandate to be applied on all network elements including connected devices, in order to ensure a uniform level of security. The current equipment used for non-licenced telecom services do not require following the trusted source mandate, but the potential for harm being caused by malware or virus is still large.

The telecom industry wants equipment like routers, switches, sensors and smart meters used in unlicensed communication and services like wifi also be included under the trusted source mandate.

The primary objective of a trusted source mandate is to ensure the security and integrity of telecommunications networks. Including unlicensed communication equipment under this mandate would address potential vulnerabilities and threats associated with these devices. By enforcing trusted sourcing requirements, regulatory bodies aim to mitigate the risk of unauthorized access, data breaches, and cyber attacks.

Currently, equipment used for non-licensed telecom services does not need to follow the trusted source mandate. But in today’s connected world, any malware or virus in any of the connected devices, which could be a wireless router, sensor or any smart device, can potentially harm the entire telecom network infrastructure of the country. Experts say this could lead to increased costs for equipment vendors and potentially affect the supply chain and availability of such devices.

The trusted source mandate was put in place by the government to keep a check from Chinese telecom vendors like Huawei, ZTE and others .

The government once again extended the deadline to implement mandatory testing and certification of telecommunication equipment (MTCTE). The rules, which were scheduled to come into effect from July1, will now kick in from October 1 and January 1, 2024 based on different products, according to a notification by the Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC).

The guidelines provide that every telecom equipment must undergo mandatory testing and certification before it is put to sale and used for network rollouts. The implementation of such regime is key to ensure quality and secured equipment are used in the networks. On June 13 last year, the TEC notified the extension of date of MTCTE phase III and phase IV products to July 1, 2023 from July 1, 2022.

According to the current notification, the mandatory certification implementation date for 12 products covered by MTCTE Phase 3 and Phase 4, including cellular network base stations and optical cables, will be extended 6 months to January 1, 2024.

There is hues and cry among the make in India companies, the move is against the beneficiaries of telecom PLI scheme as their sales are already being affected owing to the use of low quality and unsecured equipment.

Another subject matter expert says, these extensions would aid the industry which has been facing significant challenges in the operationalisation of Phases 3 and 4 of the MTCTE, primarily owing to issues like non-availability and limited capability of testing labs, absence of defined timelines for testing procedures, and lack of benchmarks for both testing charges and certification charges, COAI said.

S Mohini Ratna, Editor, VARINDIA