Lok Sabha Question No. 173 (STARRED), answered on 2016-03-09
Subject: National Telecom Security Policy
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: DEVENDRA (ALIAS) BHOLE SINGH SINGH, NISHIKANT  DUBEY

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.173

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 9 TH  MARCH, 2016

## NATIONAL TELECOM SECURITY POLICY

- †*173. SHRI DEVENDRA SINGH BHOLE: SHRI NISHIKANT DUBEY:

Will  the  Minister  of  COMMUNICATIONS  AND  INFORMATION  TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has put in place or proposes to put in place the National Telecommunication Security Policy in the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof including salient features of the said policy;
- (c)  whether  all  the  Telecom  Service  Providers  (TSP)  are  following  the  instructions issued  by  the  Government  regarding  security  audit  of  telecom  equipments,  if  so,  the details thereof; and
- (d) if  not,  the  action  taken/being taken by the Government against erring TSPs, TSPwise?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)

- (a) to (d) A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

Contd…2/-

## STATEMENT TO BE LAID ON THE TABLE OF THE LOK SABHA IN RESPECT OF PARTS (a) TO (d) OF LOK  SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 173 FOR 9 TH  March, 2016 REGARDING 'NATIONAL TELECOM SECURITY POLICY'.

(a) to (b) Madam, the National Telecom Policy 2012 is in place which inter-alia has the following provisions for National Telecommunication Security:

- (i)        Mandate  and  enforce  that  TSPs  take  adequate measures for  security  of their networks.
- (ii)    Develop  and  deploy  state  of  the  art  systems  for  assistance  to  Law Enforcement Agencies.
- (iii) Create  Institutional  framework  to  ensure  safe-to-connect  device  are inducted into the network.
- (iv)   Facilitate establishment of National Mobile Property Registry for addressing security,  theft  and  other  concerns  including  reprogramming  of  Mobile Handsets.
- (v)      Build  National  capacity  in  areas  of  security  standards,  security  testing, interception  and  monitoring  capabilities  and  manufacturing  of  telecom equipment.
- (vi)    Work  towards  an  electronics  ecosystem  of  wafer  fab  etc  indigenously manufactured multi-functional SIM cards, indigenously designed chips.
- (vii)   Mandate standards in areas of security in all building blocks i.e. devices, elements and physical infrastructure like towers, buildings.
- (viii) Provide preference to domestically manufactured telecommunication products in procurement of those products which have security implications for the country.
- (ix)      Develop  rational  criterion  for  sharing  costs  beyond  a  threshold  between government and service providers for implementing security measures.

(c) to (d) The license conditions inter-alia mandated that the Licensees shall audit their network or get the network audited from security point of view once a year from a network audit and certification agency. Reports received from the TSPs indicate that the instructions regarding Security Audit of Telecom networks are complied with.

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