KOLKATA: Telecom companies and device makers have termed “draconian” the government’s plans to run security checks locally on imported smartphones and network gear used in mobile phone networks from April 1, 2017.They said the move could cause major supply chain disruptions in a country that imports over $8 billion of telecom devices annually, scuttle 3G/4G network roll-outs, delay latest smartphone arrivals to India and also abet corruption.“If the government implements in-country testing of telecom equipment next April amid the continuing absence of world-class screening labs of the requisite scale, there are strong chances of product supply lines being choked off and network roll-outs getting delayed, which India can ill afford, especially if it’s to meet broadband customer penetration targets envisaged in NTP 2012,” Broadband India Forum (BIF) president TV Ramachandran told ET.The BIF represents Bharti Airtel , Vodafone, Telenor, Qualcomm , Facebook, Google Microsoft and Intel, among other companies.A senior executive at one of the world’s biggest network vendors warned that if the government puts all imported telecom network products “in the red channel category”, it would invariably lead to testing delays, negatively impact business conditions for all global telecom companies operating in India and create market access barriers.Ideally, the government “should accept security certifications from globally reputed test labs to avoid supply chain disruptions” and not press for mandatory local screening, he said on condition of anonymity.Rajan Mathews, director general of the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), backed the view, saying it may be impractical to locally screen the same network products that have already been certified and deemed safe by globally accredited laboratories.The COAI represents India’s biggest phone companies such as Bharti Airtel , Vodafone India, Idea Cellular and Reliance Jio Infocomm.Mathews said that there is “a grave danger of India being isolated from the rest of the world in terms of testing requirements” if the government does not align its network security testing drill with global standards.Such a scenario, he said, would lead to further delays in obtaining world-class telecom network equipment across 2G, 3G and 4G platforms.A senior executive at one of India’s biggest phone companies said local screening would “add another layer of bureaucracy”, leading to potential supply-chain bottlenecks and delays in 4G network roll-outs, post-April 2017. Vendors might not be able to deliver in time since the industry is clueless on the modalities of the proposed local testing requirements, the capacity of the test labs and their workflows, he said.Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India, Idea Cellular, Reliance Jio Infocomm, Ericsson and Huawei did not reply to ET’s email queries till late evening on Thursday.The Indian unit of Finnish networks vendor Nokia said implementation of an initiative to locally screen telecom gear will require preparedness in terms of systems, processes and standards as well as adequate time to roll out.Another executive with a telecom operator said, “The insistence on local testing would be a throwback of sorts to the bad days of inspector raj, which can become a spawning ground for corruption.”ET had recently reported on the government’s plans to locally screen imported network gear and handsets from next April by initially leveraging the labs belonging to Standardisation Testing & Quality Certification (STQC), which is under the Ministry of Electronics & IT (Meity).The Department of Telecom’s expert group on security is working on a framework for screening network gear while Meity will drive the security testing drill for handsets.It’s not known yet whether DoT will mandate network vendors or telcos to also share source codes of imported network gear deployed in mobile networks as part of the local screening exercise. But BIF’s Ramachandran said it would be “unfeasible for network vendors to share or transfer source codes” with government since such a scenario would be governed by IPR and competition issues.A senior DoT official said that Meity will be closely involved in preparing the security standards for imported end-user devices like smartphones and tablets in the run-up to their local testing.A senior industry executive, who recently participated in a meeting on this issue with DoT and Meity officials, said a section of bureaucrats in the government believe smartphones, by virtue of their open architecture, are particularly vulnerable from the security side, in terms of attracting malware if used for a mix of enterprise and personal work, and accordingly must be certified by an accredited clearinghouse in India.Security-linked vulnerabilities, he said, are “particularly acute in a smartphone’s firmware and apps”, which is the prime driver for its inclusion in the list of imported telecom products proposed to be screened locally, especially at a time when the government is targeting a rapid transition to a cashless digital economy where the mobile phone will play a pivotal role.Pankaj Mohindroo, national president of the Indian Cellular Association (ICA), said “there is a need for a robust dispensation for securing smartphones so long as it does not (negatively) impact the handset ecosystem or disrupts the supply chain, including app developers”.The ICA is the apex industry association of handset makers such as Apple, Samsung, Foxconn, Xiaomi, Sony, Microsoft, Sony, BlackBerry, Lava, Micromax and Karbonn.