An Overview Trusted Telecom Approval in India

TSPs or Telecom Service Providers can facilitate services provided their devices sourced from government-acknowledged sources. In view of this, all TCPs are required to secure Trusted Telecom Approval from the authority concerned. 

On June 15, 2021, the GOI introduced the online portal by the name Trusted Telecom. With this portal came the National Security Directive on Telecommunication Sector (NSDTS). According to it, TSPs are mandated to secure the Trusted Telecom Approval before commencing their operation.

An overview of TTP (Trusted Telecom Portal)

The Trusted Telecom portal entails the list concerning trusted vendors. A TSP can provide vendor details and product information they want to secure for their service page.

The portal will initiate the comparison of said information with the list of trusted vendor products. Once it finds the match, the TSP can proceed to secure the apt hardware.

The National Security Directive on Telecommunication Sector (NSDTS) received the green signal from the union cabinet in 2020.

The directive was planned to be rolled out 180 days after that approval. But, things did not pan out as expected owing to the Covid 19 outbreak.

The CDT, the government research and development wing, took the initiative to design the Trusted Telecom portal. However, CDT was not the only one that brought the TTP into action. The departments like RailTel and National Security Council have made a significant contribution towards the portal’s development.

Presently, every telecom service provider seeking to undergo operation must check whether their telecom devices belong to a trusted source with the use of this portal.

How to add a vendor or product to Trusted Telecom Portal?

There are fundamentally two ways a vendor can be added to the Trusted Telecom Portal.

At the request of TSP

If the TSPs provide vendor information that does not exist in the portal, the TSP can ask the portal to include the vendor and product in the so-called trusted list. The portal will scrutinize the information before accepting the TSP’s request.

At the vendor's request

If you are serving as a telecommunication vendor, you can also request the portal to add you to the trusted list.

Like the TSP, you will also get the portal’s access where you can file the application for inclusion in the trusted list.

What is the impact of the prevailing directive on the current trusted list?

The GOI has not shown any intention to replace the prevailing list of trusted vendors and products.

Therefore, if you are acting as a TCP and your products belong to trusted sources, then there is no reason to worry about the NSDTS portal.

The inclusion of new vendors and devices will be subjected to pre-investigation and the government’s protocol, which will remain transparent for all imminent suppliers.

So, there is no reason for current vendors to have concerns about the prevailing directive.  The question of making uninformed changes to the list is completely out of the equation.

Which authority verifies the vendors and products before listing them out?

The National Cyber Security Coordinator (NCSC) has vested with the responsibility of verifying incoming vendors and products for list inclusion.

However, the said authority needs to work in conjunction with the National Security Committee of Telecom (NSCT) to serve this purpose and hence obtain the TSP approval.

Deputy NSA oversees the affairs of NSCT. The said authority comprises members which belong to different ministries and departments. The committee also is backed by two TCP members and one independent expert.

Documents to be arranged for Trusted Telecom Approval

1. Request From TSP
2. Details and Specs concerning products.
3. MoA and AoA
4. Paperwork of authorized official

How Can Corpbiz help you secure Trusted Telecom Approval easily?

It is important for every telecom service provider to procure hardware services via trusted sources only to remain legally operational. The telecom devices used or planned to be used by the TCPs must exist in the trusted list. Installed products that are not listed would not have the authority’s trust and shall eventually be discarded from the network. Therefore, it is important to stay in line with operational norms and accordingly secure the Trusted Telecom approval. The said approval attracts plenty of paperwork and compliance. If you want to stay away from that nuisance, let the Corpbiz experts get the job done.