India slashes telecom certification fees by 95% to boost local production

India slashes security certification fee for over 50 telecom and tech product categories; move to benefit firms like Nokia, Cisco, HFCL, Dixon as part of ease-of-doing-business push

India has reduced the security certification fee by up to 95 per cent for telecom and technology equipment, as part of the government’s ongoing efforts to simplify compliance rules for companies that make or import telecom and tech products, Mint reported.

 

The fee has been slashed for more than 50 types of equipment, including routers, smart meters, satellite devices, optical fibre cables, and 5G/WiFi gear. Companies like Nokia, Ericsson, Cisco, HFCL Ltd, and Dixon Technologies are expected to benefit from this move, the news report said.   

 

New fee structure from August

 

Currently, any telecom or tech product must go through safety and security testing at government-approved labs. If the test is successful, the government issues a security certificate. Starting August 1, the cost of getting this certification will drop significantly — from ₹2 lakh-₹3.5 lakh per product model to just ₹10,000-50,000, the news report said.

 

This cost cut supports India’s ease-of-doing-business efforts and will reduce the compliance burden on tech firms. However, the telecom industry still faces challenges such as limited testing lab capacity and delays in certification.

 

US trade talks and industry concerns

 

The announcement comes at a time when India is in key trade discussions with the United States. The US, on Wednesday, imposed a 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods, along with an unspecified penalty.

 

Starlink gets India licence, spectrum rules ready: Scindia

 

Starlink, led by Elon Musk, has received the official licence to start satellite internet services in India, news agency PTI reported.   

 

  "Starlink has been granted a Unified License to launch satellite internet services in India. Frameworks for spectrum allocation and gateway establishment are ready, ensuring smooth rollout," said Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Thursday.

 

Other satellite internet players, like Eutelsat OneWeb (backed by the Bharti Group) and Jio SES, are also waiting for final approvals to begin their services.