How DoT's Streamlining of Rules could Spur Local Telecom Growth India's efforts to simplify security testing, extend the Pro Tem Certification Scheme, and others could boost indigenous telecom equipment manufacturing.

India is taking important steps to further elevate the security framework of its telecom ecosystem. These steps are widely seen as crucial measures to push local equipment makers as well as reducing compliance burden.

These steps come in the form of reforms introduced last month by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) under the Ministry of Communications, through its National Centre for Communication Security (NCCS).

First, the government has extended the Pro Tem Certification Scheme beyond January 1, 2026 on an ongoing basis for a period of two years. It has also notified a reduction exceeding 50% in the designation application fees for Telecom Security Testing Laboratories (TSTLs). And then, it has simplified the ITSAR Security Certification process by identifying a group of customized variants of ONTs and testing them under a single certification procedure.

Let's briefly understand these reforms one-by-one.

1. Extension of Pro Tem Certification

Pro Tem Certification Scheme was first introduced in October 2024 with an objective to help industry escape disruption in business processes for IP Router and Wi-Fi CPE products, which otherwise were mandatory to get security certified.

"Under the Pro Tem certification, 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 Telecom Security Testing Lab (TSTL) for testing, according to the ministry.

"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 SMF, Optical Line Terminal, Optical Networking Terminal, and new product launches," it adds.

So far, the DoT via NCCS has issued 107 Pro Tem certificates. The government hopes the extension of the scheme will help empower OEMs to maintain the product line continuity.

2. Reduced designation application fees

TSTLs are essentially labs designated to test the telecom equipment as per the Indian Telecommunication Security Assurance Requirements (ITSAR) and Test Schedule and Test Procedure (TSTP). So far, NCCS has designated 9 TSTLs ( 27 telecom equipment / network functions) across the country as on date for the above purpose.

According to the ministry, special concessions, aligned with TEC policy, include 50% fee reduction for: Indian Startups, Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs), Women-owned enterprises. And there's a complete fee waiver for: Central and state government testing agencies, government institutions, IITs, and autonomous bodies.

3. Simplified ITSAR Security Certification

ITSAR for ONT, a device used at customer premises to access the internet, was notified on 24-11-2023. Security certification for the device has been made effective on voluntary basis with effect from 01-08-2024 and on mandatory basis with effect from 01-01-2026, according to the ministry.

"Owing to compilation method provided by chipset vendors, these variants are built with different hash values even though the software version remains the same. This makes them not relatable and warranted a separate certification for each variant, which increased the security certification costs hugely resulting in large number representations from the industry for relief. NCCS, with inputs from Industry representatives and consultation, has worked out a mechanism to reduce the ITSAR compliance burden and to effectively reduce the number of testing cases by 10 times, thereby providing substantial financial relief in security testing," the ministry explains.

Diving deeper

"...By simplifying security verification while maintaining robust safeguards, the policy empowers manufacturers, accelerates innovation and expands broadband penetration nationwide. These reforms also enable the development of Swadeshi telecom security testing infrastructure and reinforces Bharat as a trusted telecom manufacturing and testing hub. Together, these transformative steps advance our shared vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat with security, scale & speed…" Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had said on the reforms.

Experts too believe that these reforms will help Indian OEMs in multiple ways, specifically on the predictability and scale fronts. Most manufacturers develop a hardened platform and then create operator-specific variants. The earlier framework unintentionally penalized this model by forcing repetitive testing with no incremental security gain.

"Since late 2025, NCCS has simultaneously: released updated ITSARs for Wi-Fi CPEs covering cloud-managed, controller-based, API-driven and virtualized deployments

Notified an extensive ITSAR for L2/L3 LAN switches, spanning access, aggregation, core, SDN, cloud-native, VNF and containerized environments Together, these show that while procedural friction is being reduced, technical depth is increasing. Security expectations today extend well beyond hardware into software supply chain integrity, APIs, virtualization, and lifecycle management," Rishikesh Mishra, CEO of JR Compliance, told Entrepreneur India.

It's natural to have apprehensions that whether easing the norms will lead to security concerns. Just like other industries, telecom players continue to get targeted by cyberattacks.

The current framework, however, does not amount to a relaxation of security oversight. Mandatory testing continues, enforcement powers remain intact and approvals can be withdrawn if vulnerabilities are detected and not remedied, Rishi Agrawal, CEO and cofounder of Teamlease Regtech, told Entrepreneur India.

"The intent is to avoid network rollout delays caused by capacity constraints at testing laboratories rather than to weaken safeguards. The real risk lies in execution, specifically whether testing capacity scales quickly enough and whether remediation and enforcement mechanisms are applied effectively. If these governance elements function effectively, the phased approach can balance speed with security," he said.

On quality apprehensions, Agrawal adds that Indian telecom equipment manufacturers are capable of scaling to global quality benchmarks but success will depend on more than regulatory ease alone. The new framework removes avoidable friction such as high compliance costs, repeated renewals and testing delays while retaining non-negotiable security requirements. This creates space for firms to redirect capital and managerial attention towards engineering depth, quality assurance and security-by-design practices.

This becomes increasingly important for the country's broader manufacturing evolution. India has emerged as one of the world's largest production and export bases for smartphones, including becoming a major global manufacturing hub for Apple iPhones, while large-scale investments by Samsung press on India's ability to support complex, high-volume, quality-critical manufacturing at a global scale.

"These developments point towards domestic capacity creation and growing international confidence in India's manufacturing and quality ecosystems. That said, long-term credibility in telecom equipment will ultimately depend on sustained investment in testing infrastructure and strict enforcement where vulnerabilities are identified. If these elements progress in parallel, India's lighter-touch yet standards-driven regulatory approach can enable rapid scale-up while maintaining security and competing credibly with global peers," he said.

Mishra adds that the new ONT directive helps Indian firms scale responsibly by allowing them to invest engineering effort where it matters—secure platforms and software—rather than repeating identical tests for cosmetic variants. In that sense, it actually strengthens India's ability to compete globally rather than weakening standards.

In summary, this is not a softening of security rules. It is a maturation of regulation—one that supports indigenous manufacturing while keeping India's telecom networks defensible by design.