India is reportedly preparing to block Chinese video surveillance giants such as Hikvision, Dahua and TP-Link from selling internet-connected CCTV cameras and related hardware from April 1. Starting next month, new certification rules under the Standardization Testing and Quality Certification (STQC) rule will come into effect, making approval mandatory before CCTV products can be sold in India. Please note that these rules apply to all brands offering CCTV cameras and video surveillance products in India.
According to a report in The Economic Times, citing industry officials, the move is part of a broader government effort to tighten security standards for connected devices. The authorities are reportedly refusing to grant certification to the products of these companies as well as any device that uses chipsets of Chinese origin. Without STQC approval, such products are effectively banned from the Indian market.
This ban will deal a big blow to Chinese brands, which once dominated the sector in the country. As of last year, Chinese brands accounted for about one-third of total CCTV sales in the country. However, the scenario has rapidly changed as domestic manufacturers have stepped in to fill the void.
Indian brands are capturing most of the market
Meanwhile, Indian brands like CP Plus, Qubo, Prama, Matrix and Sparsh have expanded aggressively. These brands have reworked their supply chains and localized their firmware to rely on non-Chinese components, preferring Taiwanese chipsets. According to Counterpoint Research, as of February, Indian players control 80 per cent of the market, while the premium segment remains the stronghold of multinationals like Bosch and Honeywell.
Indian CCTV manufacturers may, understandably and for commercial reasons, welcome the government’s move. Qubo, which is part of the Hero Group, has praised the government for “cracking down on non-compliant, internet-connected CCTV systems”.
In a statement to India Today Tech, Qubo founder Nikhil Rajpal said, “(The government’s) move is an important step towards strengthening national and individual security as well as giving a strong vote of confidence in favor of Indian brands and manufacturing.”
What are the new rules?
The change in rules for CCTV cameras stems from the Essential Requirements (ER) norms introduced by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in April 2024. The rules require manufacturers to disclose the country of origin of key components such as system-on-chip (SoC), and ensure that devices are tested for vulnerabilities that could allow unauthorized remote access.
Companies were given a transition period of two years to comply. So far, more than 500 CCTV models have been certified under the new system.
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