India launches trusted telecom portal; Chinese gear won't make the cut [details]

India has finally approved the Trusted Telecom Portal, six months after the Cabinet's nod to the National Security Directive on Telecommunication Sector in December last year. This portal is a part of the national security directive on the telecom sector. The cyber wing of National Security Council Secretariat will mandate a list of equipment to be used by telecom service providers in India.

With the onset of 5G rollout in India, this is a crucial step towards ensuring security of telecom networks. The approved list of trusted sources and products for installation in the country's telecom networks will further the government's commitment to protect its network against cyberattacks, security breaches and intelligence gatherings.

"...With effect from 15th June 2021, the Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) are mandatorily required to connect in their networks only those new devices which are designated as Trusted Products from Trusted Sources...," a statement from the National Security Council secretariat said.

Trusted Telecom Portal for TSPs

The Trusted Telecom Portal will be accessible to the Telecom Service Providers to get relevant information regarding telecom products and vendors. TSPs provide crucial services of voice, video and data, which is why the underlying infrastructure has to be protected and the Trusted Telecom Portal is the step in the right direction.

"From among the sources declared as 'trusted sources' by the designated authority, those that meet the criteria of the Department of Telecommunications' preferential market scheme will be certified as Indian trusted sources,'' the directive added.

That said, through this portal, the Indian government is widely believed to discourage the use of Chinese gear in the country's networks. Huawei Technologies, which is a leading network equipment provider, has been accused of backdoor access in telecom networks, which it has denied. However, Airtel and Vodafone Idea continue to partner with Chinese Huawei and ZTE and only Reliance Jio uses gear from Korean Samsung Networks.

There is no directive to replace the existing equipment, which is already operational with the telecom service providers.