The telecom department in consultation with software firm Wipro, has identified 25 telecom products that will be screened at an authorised test lab in India. Twelve of these items have been classified "high-risk items", which need to be "security checked" from October 1, according to an internal telecom department note seen by ET.
DoT documents suggest Wipro is keen to invest in a telecom products certification lab, but there is no clarity on whether such a facility will be operational by October. Wipro did not reply to ET's specific query on whether it is actually investing in such a facility."If every imported
smartphone is subject to a security test, India may end up being a generation or two behind since obsolescence is high and foreign handset makers would need fresh security clearances every time they add a feature or load a new app, which, in turn, will delay their India launches," said this executive, who works closely with global handset makers. An official representing a leading CDMA operator added the proposed inclusion of SIM cards is useless, especially since over 80% of the SIM cards are customised in India.
