Chinese vendor ZTE is moving to assure Indian operators that it will comply with the country's latest telecom security rules, and Huawei is expected to follow suit.
ZTE has told the operators that it will follow the new security guidelines, which require core equipment and related source code to be independently audited before it may be installed, sources told the Economic Times.
The vendor is seeking to negotiate formal new supply agreements that comply with the rules – which will be necessary because the onus for compliance is squarely on the operators.
Tata Teleservices has told the Department of Telecom (DoT) of ZTE's commitment to the new framework.
Huawei is expected to sign on to the new rules shortly, according to a DoT official. The supplier in May signaled its willingness to make its source code available for verification.
Huawei and ZTE have a combined order backlog in India of around $750 million, Associated Press has reported.