DoT extends broadband gear testing deadline

The telecom department's communication security wing NCCS has deferred the rollout of mandatory testing of optical fibre-based broadband gears for the third time until December 31, an official notification said.

- PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

Industry body VoICE, representing domestic telecom gear makers, has alleged that the mandatory testing has been deferred again amid reluctance by foreign vendors to go for security testing but NCCS has denied the charges.

The National Centre for Communication Security (NCCS) under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is responsible for the implementation of ‘Communication Security Certification Scheme’ (ComSec) to ensure devices installed in telecom networks are safe and secure.

Optical Network Terminal (ONT) and Optical Line Terminal (OLT) products will be under Voluntary Security Certification (VSC) regime till December 31, 2025. During the VSC period, administrative fee and Security Test Evaluation Fee shall not be levied.

Subsequently, from January 1, 2026, such products shall be mandatorily certified for their compliance with ITSAR under ComSec scheme," the notification dated August 29 said.

ONTs are devices installed at customer premises like modems, wifi routers etc for providing broadband services while OLTs facilitate transmission of broadband signals in the network.