China’s Internet of Things vendors under India radar? Centre mulling national security directive for IoT ecosystem: Report

The Centre is exploring the possibility of bringing new changes in the national security directives to cover Chinese Internet of Things ecosystem, a media report said on Monday. According to a report by Economic Times, the Centre is mulling to introduce a mandate similar to what is present in the telecom sector.

So far, Chinese IoT vendors have been dominating the Indian markets due to their price point. But this may change soon, the ET report said quoting National Cyber Security Coordination Lieutenant General MU Nair. At a recent event, Nair had reportedly said that the Centre is exploring the possibility of how the current national security directive will cover the IoT modules.

At present, India’s Internet of Things module is a booming segment. As per a report by data gathering site Statista, India’s IoT segment’s growth is pegged to at 16 percent annually, the ET report added. Major Chinese Internet of Things vendors in Indian markets are Neoway, Quectel and Simcom. According to the ET report, the key reasons for growth of Chinese IoT modules in India include uptick in usage of telematics in the automobile sector, smart meter projects and expansion of 5G services.