Ericsson, Cisco get approval as 'trusted sources'

Swedish telecom equipment maker Ericsson and US-based networking major Cisco are among the vendors that have received the approval as 'trusted sources' from the National Cyber Security Coordinator (NCSC), industry sources said.

The sources said that as many as seven to eight companies have received 'trusted sources' approval. Beside Ericsson and Cisco, Nokia, Tejas, PC Solutions and Dori Software are among those that have got the nod, they added.

In December last year, the Cabinet cleared a proposal to secure telecom infrastructure by designating a 'trusted source' for the purchase of equipment by service providers.

Chinese vendor Huawei is in the process of submitting the required documents, one of the sources said. ZTE is yet to hear from the government on the matter, another source said.

E-mails sent to Ericsson, Cisco, Tejas and Nokia did not elicit a response.

A source in a telecom company claimed that a few products have got validation and hoped that other items, in due course, will get the necessary go ahead.

The National Security Directive on Telecommunication Sector (NSDTS) was framed keeping in mind the national security. Under the provisions of NSDTS, the government will declare a list of trusted sources and trusted products for installation in the country's telecom network.

In June this year, the government launched a website for giving clearance to trusted products that telecom operators can install in their network under the NSDTS.

Telecom operators are required to access the website to indicate the telecom products and the vendor from whom they intend to procure the products.

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