Department of Telecommunications extended deadline till September for mandatory testing of broadband devices 

The Department of Telecommunications has postponed the date for mandatory testing and certification of broadband equipment until September 1, 2025. This is done in the backdrop of negotiations with the US over tariff issues. The US government has referred to the testing and certification regulations for the telecommunication sector in India as cumbersome, costly, and difficult for US businesses to market their products in India.

The National Center for Communication Security (NCCS), working under the Department of Telecommunications, issued a notification on April 7 stating that products such as Optical Network Terminals (ONT) and Optical Line Terminals (OLT) will come under the Voluntary Security Certification (VSC) regime until August 31, 2025. During this period, administrative fees and security test evaluation fees will not be charged.

Earlier, the department had set a mandatory testing deadline of 1 April 2025 for those ONT devices that have already been installed in the network and in which changes in hardware or software is proposed. At the same time, the last date of 2 February 2025 was fixed for those ONT devices that have not been certified yet and are to be sold in India.

The new order states, "From 1 September 2025, all such products will be mandatorily certified under the ComSec scheme under the Indian Telecom Security Assurance Requirements (ITSAR)." It is worth noting that OLT devices are installed by broadband service providers who transmit signals through optical fiber, while ONT devices are installed at the customer's place to access the service.

The Department of Telecommunications launched the 'Communication Security Certification Scheme (ComSec)' in 2020, under which security testing and certification of all telecom equipment have been made mandatory. This scheme covers various telecom equipment, such as routers, core equipment, 5G base stations, and servers.