The government will seek the approval of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) to allow the private sector companies to set up telecom equipment test labs in the country to check the imported telecom equipments. The move is in line with the government’s decision for mandatory certification of imported telecom equipments by local accredited test labs from April 2015. Thus, no telecom service provider would be allowed to use equipments not carrying a certification from these labs.

Also, the government will seek approval of the committee to form a unit within the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to formulate India-specific network security standards. The private labs will have to adhere to these guidelines after the local screening of equipments begins in 2015.

Further, the government is planning to ask CCS for a speedy clearance on the formation of a separate wing in DoT to develop standards, processes, tools and testing lab accreditation rules for the mandatory certification policy. This comes after Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangaluru opted out of the project. The institute has expressed its inability to work for the project following difficulties in sourcing inputs related to the telecom equipment designs from manufacturers in the country.