The government has extended the deadline for mandatory local telecom equipment testing to March 31, 2019, a move that will give some relief to gear makers such as Finland’s Nokia, Sweden’s Ericsson and China’s Huawei.
While the government aims to implement its plan of mandatory telecom equipment testing from October 1, it will be limited to some equipment such as fax machines and modems to start with and the number of products to be brought under its ambit will be increased in phases, Shakeel Ahmad, deputy director general (DDG) at Telecom Engineering Centre (TEC), told ET.
TEC, a nodal agency of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) that creates standards and specifications for generic telecom products, services and networks, is tasked to preview nearly 50 products.
The English Daily reported that the industry has been opposing the move for mandatory local testing, saying it would delay network deployments and expansion, and would cost the industry an estimated Rs 1,500 crore annually towards assessment charges.
The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), which represents Indian service providers as well as network vendors such as Huawei, Ericsson and ZTE, said mandatory gear testing would cripple the entire telecom sector ecosystem. It added that the proposal for mandatory testing of telecom products could create potential supply chain disruptions and increase the cost of telecom services.
A rapidly consolidating and financially stressed telecom services market has also hurt network vendors such as Nokia, Ericsson and Huawei who too are facing erosion of revenue and would struggle to cough the additional amounts needed for local testing, say industry officials.
Ahmad informed that India already has 15 designated private sector labs currently, and a similar number of such facilities are expected to be set up soon. While some of the industry demands appeared to be genuine, safety of consumers and the country was of paramount importance.
