The National Centre for Communication Security (NCCS), Department of Telecommunications, has extended the validity of the Pro Tem Security Certification from the current six months to two years, to enhance the ease of doing business and ensure business continuity for the industry,
The Pro Tem Certification, with a validity of six months, was introduced in October 2024 to help the industry avoid disruption in business processes for IP Router and Wi-Fi customer premises equipment (CPE) products, which otherwise were mandatory to be security certified starting October 1, 2024. Under the Pro Tem certification, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) submit a declaration of conformance, stating that their equipment complies with most of the security requirements for applicable IP Router and Wi-Fi CPE products as per the Indian Telecommunication Security Assurance Requirements (ITSAR). Simultaneously, the equipment is offered to the telecom security testing lab (TSTL) for testing. OEMs also submit an undertaking to address any shortfalls identified during the testing within the validity of the certificate. The scope of the Pro Tem certification has been further extended to cover 5G Core session management function (SMF), optical line terminal, optical networking terminal, and new product launches.
To date, NCCS has issued 102 Pro Tem certificates, which have facilitated the continuity of business processes for OEMs without any disruption. Extending the validity of the Pro Tem certificate to two years will ease the pressure on the industry regarding frequent renewals.
