Addressing concerns raised by the country’s security forces, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has decided that all imported telecom products including network hardware will be subject to strict security and vigilance scrutiny.
A laboratory for carrying out the required tests will be set up by the Telecom Engineering Centre (TEC), DoT’s technical arm. Security threats such as Trojans and hidden software will be specifically addressed, making sure that external elements do not bring down Indian telecom networks.
According to DoT officials, the security threat arises from the fact that equipment makers, while designing networks, typically create remote diagnostic facilities that are often not disabled after the product is introduced into the market.These facilities, exploited by hackers, have led to serious security breaches in the past. Says a DoT official: “Complete tests need to be performed to ensure a secure network, which is critical to the infrastructure of the nation. Also, it is important to create a test bed, one in which the government has adequate control over devising protocols and procedures for carrying out research and testing of every telecom product.”
With a planned investment of Rs 60 million, TEC is currently in the process of setting up the Telecom Testing and Security Certification Centre, modelled on the China Information Technology Security Certification Centre, to carry out certification responsibilities. Such organisations exist in many other countries including the UK.
Meanwhile, in the Indian context, analysts believe that setting up the test centre will, in all probability, increase the watch on Chinese telecom vendors. Companies like ZTE and Huawei have been kept away from participating in large public sector unit tenders in the past.
As India imports a considerable amount of telecom equipment, the industry expects the process of carrying out tests and obtaining mandatory clearances to delay network rollout. The current value of India’s telecom equipment imports is close to $12 billion (network equipment) per year, a figure that is likely to go up to over $15 billion by 2009.
However, in an effort to keep testingrelated delays to a minimum, DoT is planning to enter into mutual recognition agreements with other countries, under which equipment tested by foreign government-controlled laboratories will be accepted by DoT. Doing so will also obviate the need for carrying out testing and certification, and thus lead to cost savings.DoT is also amenable to allowing network vendors to submit compliance certificates issued by approved testing laboratories.
In all, while the scrutiny of telecom products cannot be avoided, DoT would do well to keep the process short in the interest of rapid deployment of infrastructure.
