With the center expanding the list of core equipments that would require compulsory security clearance, the import of any telecom device into India would now face further delays.
The “critical core equipment” final draft of proposed network security norms consists of all important mobile operator billing systems, user workstations and servers which has been classified by the telecom ministry at the directive from the Home ministry.
Thus, the total number of items which have been categorized as “core” and that requires security clearance on their import has risen to 18.
Billing systems, user workstation and servers being prone to rebellious activity, the Home ministry and the telecom department has made it compulsory of these devices to be checked for any kind of embedded spy ware, trapdoors, malwares or Trojan horses before allowing any mobile operator to import them.
A senior government official has said “Billing systems, servers and user workstations, as part of an integrated mobile billing environment contain loads of intelligence (read customer information of a confidential nature). The Centre wants to ensure this information is under no circumstances remotely tapped or leaves the country. It is widely believed that if malwares, spy ware, trapdoors or Trojan horses are secretly installed in billing software, they can either destroy mobile networks or unlawfully extract confidential customer records. The decision to include billing systems and servers in the list of critical core equipment aims to pre-empt such subversive activity”. He was part of the meeting between representatives from DoT and Home ministry and mobile phone firms which took place on July 3rd.
This decision has not been accepted well by the telecom companies who feel that this would hinder their growth plans.
Even though the telecommunication companies were informed of the addition to the list, the center is yet to make the expanded new list of the core equipments public said a top executive of a telecom company. The executive also said “The delay in equipment imports have hurt the sector so badly that telcos are willing to sign on the dotted line despite their opposition to last minute changes made in the draft security agreement”.
Meanwhile A Raja the telecommunication minister ahs been approached by the COAI, The Cellular Operators Association of India, which is the main body representing the telecom operators offering GSM services, demanding that the additions to the core list be removed. Rajan Mathew, the director general of COAI has explained “The more you add to the definition of core, the more complex it becomes. Telcos will now have to find agencies to verify billing softwares and servers. Besides, Chinese equipment vendors are hardly in this space”.
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