DoT Extends Broadband Gear Testing Deadline to December 31, 2025

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has extended the deadline for mandatory broadband gear to December 31, 2025. The foreign vendors are allegedly reluctant to go for security testing, but NCCS (security wing of DoT) has denied this, as per an ET report. The National Centre for Communication Security (NCCS) is responsible to ensure that the devices installed in the telecom networks by foreign vendors is tested and is safe and secure. This is important from the perspective of national security.

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A notification, released on August 29, said, “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.”

ONTs are installed on the end of the customers. ONTs are devices such as routers, modems, etc for providing broadband connectivity to the customer. The government wants to ensure that all the telecom infrastructure is safe and tested. To this extent, the government also banned Chinese telecom gear from the infrastructure.