In a major push to simplify compliance and encourage local production, India has slashed the security certification fees for telecom and technology equipment by up to 95 percent. The decision, aimed at easing business operations, will benefit companies manufacturing or importing over 50 categories of telecom and tech products.
Products like routers, smart meters, satellite devices, optical fibre cables, and 5G or WiFi equipment will now face significantly lower certification costs. Companies such as Nokia, Ericsson, Cisco, HFCL Ltd, and Dixon Technologies are expected to gain from the revised fee structure, according to sources.
Starting from August 1, the new fees will be implemented, reducing the cost of certification from the current range of ₹2 lakh to ₹3.5 lakh per product model to just ₹10,000 to ₹50,000. These certifications are issued after mandatory safety and security testing at government-approved laboratories.
This step is part of the government’s broader ease-of-doing-business initiative, which aims to cut down the compliance burden on technology firms. However, despite the reduced cost, the telecom sector still faces concerns, including limited testing infrastructure and delays in the certification process.
The announcement also comes amid important trade negotiations between India and the United States. Recently, the US imposed a 25 percent tariff on Indian products, along with an unspecified penalty, adding a layer of complexity to the ongoing discussions.
In related developments, Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia confirmed that Starlink, led by Elon Musk, has received official approval to launch satellite internet services in India. “Starlink has been granted a Unified License to launch satellite internet services in India. Frameworks for spectrum allocation and gateway establishment are ready, ensuring smooth rollout,” he said on Thursday.
Other global players in the satellite internet space, including Eutelsat OneWeb, backed by the Bharti Group, and Jio SES, are also waiting for final clearances to begin operations.
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