Citing high costs, outdated standards, and excessive regulations, the US has slammed India’s ComSec telecom testing rules, urging an alignment with global certification practices.
The United States (US) has criticised India’s Communication Security Certification Scheme (ComSec), which mandates that telecom equipment, including routers and firewalls, meet specific security requirements.
The criticism came in the 2025 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers, published on Tuesday. The report highlighted the high costs and regulatory burdens imposed by India’s mandatory domestic testing requirements for telecom and technology products.
ComSec, introduced in 2023, requires strategically important telecom equipment to undergo third-party testing at a Telecom Security Testing Laboratory (TSTL) in India.
The US Trade Representative (USTR) expressed concern over India’s outdated, country-specific testing standards, which are applied through a limited number of approved laboratories. The USTR also raised concerns with India’s demand that original equipment manufacturers disclose sensitive information, such as source code, during testing.
The report reiterated the US opposition to India’s Mandatory Testing and Certification of Telecom Equipment (MTCTE) introduced in 2019. In 2021, India’s Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC) expanded the MTCTE programme to include mandatory testing for 175 products.
The USTR has urged India to reconsider its domestic testing requirements. It has called for India to accept test results from internationally accredited labs, harmonise labelling and certification practices with global standards, and eliminate retesting obligations.
The US also advocated for India to recognise labs accredited by the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), a global body that facilitates mutual recognition of lab certifications.
The report further discussed India’s Compulsory Registration Order, which has been in place since 2014. This order requires manufacturers of electronic equipment to register with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) after passing BIS-recognised lab tests.
The US argues against domestic testing requirements when products are already certified by international labs.
Additional points of concern included India’s limited inspection capacity, a complex registration process, and costly compliance burdens, including factory-level testing and the cancellation of registrations.
