The government has initiated a beta version of an online portal that will have the names of “trusted" suppliers of telecom gear, said an official directly alert of the development.
The beta version is primarily open to a few telecom service providers (TSPs) and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) identified by India’s highest cyber security authority, who will help the government collect sample data on equipment that can be qualified as trusted products, the official said.
“We had a target of 15 April to launch the beta version of the portal. We have successfully launched it. It is not open to all stakeholders at present. With this, we will hopefully be able to launch the portal on the scheduled date of 15 June," said the official stated above, who spoke on
circumstance of anonymity. India’s national cyber security coordinator (NCSC) Lt. Gen. (retired) Rajesh Pant is working on the criteria of trusted suppliers of telecom tools since December.
As per a report of 22 March that the department of telecommunications (DoT) will declare the final list of permitted manufacturers on a portal that will be launched in June.
The portal will also act as an opportunity where all suppliers who target to be empanelled can track the progress of approval of their applications.
In December, the government updated that it was working on a list of approved telecom gear vendors, given growing concerns around cyber threats and cross-border surveillance. India banned more than 200 Chinese apps and amended rules for procurement of telecom gear, following last year’s conflict at the Ladakh border.
China’s Huawei and ZTE are among a few of global telecom equipment suppliers, which include Nokia Corp, Ericsson and Samsung.
In accumulation to the telecom gear vendors, chip or semiconductor manufacturers such as Intel and Qualcomm Technologies will also be scrutinized for inclusion in the list of trusted sources.
Barring Chinese vendors can have cost insinuations for telcos, especially as India prepares for the roll-out of 5G wireless service later this year or early 2022. The official said that the transforms to the procurement policy and tighter regulations are being deliberately implemented ahead of 5G.
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