DoT pushes deadline for mandatory testing of broadband gears until Dec 31

Industry body has alleged that the mandatory testing has been deferred again amid reluctance by foreign vendors to go for security testing but NCCS has denied the charges

The Department of Telecom’s (DoT) communication security wing, National Centre for Communication Security (NCCS), has postponed the rollout of mandatory testing of optical fibre-based broadband gears for the third time until December 31, an official notification said.

 

NCCS is responsible for the implementation of the Communication Security Certification Scheme (ComSec) and ensures that devices installed in telecom networks are safe and secure.

 

“Optical Network Terminal (ONT) and Optical Line Terminal (OLT) products will be under the Voluntary Security Certification (VSC) regime till December 31, 2025. During the VSC period, the administrative fee and Security Test Evaluation Fee shall not be levied. Subsequently, from January 1, 2026, such products shall be mandatorily certified for their compliance with ITSAR under the ComSec scheme,” the notification dated August 29 said.

   

ONTs are devices installed at customer premises, such as modems and Wi-Fi routers for providing broadband services, while OLTs facilitate transmission of broadband signals in the network.

 

Industry shows concern

 

According to a PTI report, industry body VoICE, representing domestic telecom gear makers, has alleged that the mandatory testing has been deferred again amid reluctance by foreign vendors to go for security testing, but NCCS has denied the charges.

 

Voice of Indian Communication Technology Enterprises (VoICE) Director-General R.K. Bhatnagar told PTI, “One of the possible reasons for the extension could be the ongoing tariff negotiation with the US, which has raised the compliance as costly and cumbersome.

 

“The issue is related to ‘security’ issues, and we should not compromise. It will keep the door open for foreign players for more time, and domestic players will be forced to share the same market with them even when they are compliance-ready,” Bhatnagar said.

 

DoT’s clarification

 

A DoT spokesperson denied the allegation of extension due to resistance from foreign telecom gear makers, PTI reported.

 

The spokesperson said the extension has been granted to simplify the ComSec process and to address the product grouping concerns of Indian startups and MSMEs.

 

“NCCS has deferred the mandatory security certification of Optical Line Terminals (OLT) and Optical Network Terminals (ONT) by four months. During this period, Voluntary Security Certification will be available. This move is expected to ensure large-scale adoption of security certification by OEMs who make OLTs and ONTs,” the spokesperson said.

 

The NCCS, under DoT, has been mandated to implement security testing and certification under the ComSec scheme.

 

As per the updated framework, OEMs, importers, and dealers who wish to sell, import or use telecom equipment in India must ensure their products undergo security testing and certification under the said scheme.

 

“OEMs have customised the product software, which has altered the device identity (hash value of software — fingerprint of the software), leading to many different customised devices of the same models. The testing of each of these devices will not be cost-effective. NCCS has engaged with startups, OEMs and industry to simplify the grouping of such products so that security testing is not burdensome to the industry,” the spokesperson said.

 

Safeguards against data leak fears

 

The DoT has faced repeated objections from foreign players about possible source code leaks during testing. NCCS has assured companies that they can bring their source code on their own media, which will not be copied to any device in the Telecom Security Testing Lab. After testing, all intermediate data will be deleted, and no manual review of source code will take place, protecting intellectual property.

 

Timeline of extensions

 

NCCS began voluntary certification of ONTs on August 1, 2024, and OLTs on September 1, 2024. Fees were waived during this stage.

 

ONTs not certified under mandatory testing norms were required to get certified from February 1, 2025.

 

ONTs already installed but undergoing hardware or software changes had to seek certification from April 1, 2025.

 

In December 2024, NCCS announced that the VSC regime would end on March 31, 2025, after which certification would be mandatory.

 

In April 2025, the deadline was extended until August 31, 2025.

 

The latest extension, announced on August 29, now keeps the VSC window open until December 31, 2025.