In a major step to enhance ease of doing business and reduce the compliance burden on the telecom and ICT sectors, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has announced a reduction of up to 95 per cent in security test evaluation fees under the Communication Security Certification Scheme (ComSec). The revised fee structure comes into effect from 1 August 2025 and is particularly aimed at benefiting domestic manufacturers, especially micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).Previously ranging between Rs 2,00,000 and Rs 3,50,000 depending on the category of equipment, the revised fees are now set at Rs 10,000 for Group A equipment (down from Rs 2,00,000), Rs 20,000 for Group B, Rs 30,000 for Group C, and Rs 50,000 for Group D. This sharp reduction significantly lowers the financial barrier for telecom and ICT manufacturers seeking certification.Government R&D institutes like C-DOT and C-DAC are fully exempt from these fees for product certification applications submitted until 31 March 2028, encouraging continued innovation in public sector research.The DoT has also simplified the testing and compliance process for Highly Specialised Equipment (HSE) and products at the end-of-sale or end-of-life stage. Mandatory security testing currently applies to products like IP routers, Wi-Fi CPEs, and 5G Core SMF, while certification for Optical Line Terminals and Optical Networking Terminals remains voluntary, with fee exemptions applicable until 31 August 2025.Applicants may submit payments via the MTCTE portal. The National Centre for Communication Security (NCCS), under the DoT, is responsible for implementing the security testing and certification regime.The ComSec scheme is part of the broader Mandatory Testing and Certification of Telecom Equipment (MTCTE) framework, initially introduced in September 2017 and later revised under the Telecommunications (Framework to Notify Standards, Conformity Assessment, and Certification) Rules, 2025.By aligning testing with global standards, the government aims to position India as a hub for telecom security testing. This move is expected to improve the competitiveness of Indian telecom OEMs, simplify market access, and strengthen national telecom infrastructure. Image source:https://www.financialexpress.com/