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New Delhi, Aug. 19: European and American telecom gear makers are open to Indian operators certifying their equipment against spyware but are loath to share source codes with security agencies.

Existing guidelines on equipment imports provide two options — either telecom players furnish a certificate stating that the equipment is free of spyware or vendors agree to share software source codes and design details with security agencies.

Alcatel-Lucent president (Asia Pacific) Rajeev Singh-Molares said equipment vendors were “more comfortable” with self certification.

Sweden’s Ericsson and Finland-based Nokia Siemens Network are also keen on the same method, said industry executives.

The department of telecom (DoT) will take a final decision on the rules for importing telecom gear by early November.

The self-certification guideline, issued in December by the DoT, makes it mandatory for operators to certify the safety of the equipment; failure to certify means a fine.

However, operators had told the government that they did not have the expertise in certification.

Rules were then changed to give security agencies access to source codes, setting the stage for hectic lobbying by American and European business associations who said the new norms were not consistent with global practices.

The Prime Minister’s Office stepped in to provide the dual option — either self-certification or the sharing of source codes.

The PMO has also asked the DoT to put in place an alternative norm for importing equipment by early November.

“While the DoT is now giving clearance for import through the self-certification method, it is a temporary arrangement. The government can change the rules anytime and this uncertainty is affecting business,” said a Western equipment vendor.

Chinese firms, unlike their European and American competitors, are willing to comply with the dual norm.

Major equipment suppliers are Huawei Technologies, ZTE Corporation (both from China), Sweden’s Ericsson, Nokia Siemens Network (Finland-Germany) and Alcatel Lucent (France-US).