The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has directed all licensees to appoint a nodal officer who will be authorised to access the new trusted telecom portal, provide inputs, and coordinate with the National Cyber Security Coordinator.
Earlier in March 2021, the DoT had issued amendments in telecom licenses for procurement or use of telecom equipment and had stated that such equipment can only be sourced from trusted sources.
With regard to this, the government launched a trusted telecom portal on June 15, 2021 signaling the coming into effect of the National Security Directive on Telecommunication Sector (NSDTS).
Through this initiative, the government aims to bring enhanced supervision and facilitate effective control by telcos and designated authority over nationwide telecom networks.
The National Cyber Security Coordinator (NCSC) is the designated authority (DA) for the determination of inclusion of a vendor as a trusted source, of a telecom product as a trusted product and the methodology for the said inclusion. The DA makes its determination based on approval of a committee called National Security Committee on Telecom (NSCT) headed by deputy NSA. The committee consists of members from relevant departments/ministries and also has two members from industry and an independent expert.
