India likely to block Chinese CCTV brands from April 1 as new security rules kick in; what are new CCTV rules?
PTC Web Desk: India is likely to stop Chinese surveillance companies such as Hikvision, Dahua and TP-Link from selling internet-connected CCTV cameras in the country from April 1. It comes as new certification rules under the Standardisation Testing and Quality Certification (STQC) system come into force next month. These rules make it compulsory for all CCTV products to get government approval before being sold in India.
As per a report by The Economic Times, officials are not granting approvals to devices made by these Chinese firms or those using Chinese-origin chipsets. Without STQC certification, such products cannot legally be sold in India. This effectively blocks these companies from operating in the market.
The expected restrictions could hit Chinese companies hard. Until recently, they held nearly one-third of India’s CCTV market. However, the situation has changed quickly. Indian companies like CP Plus, Qubo, Prama, Matrix and Sparsh have rapidly expanded their presence.
These firms have shifted to non-Chinese components, often using Taiwanese chipsets and have also localised their software systems.
According to Counterpoint Research, Indian players now control over 80% of the CCTV market as of February this year.
Meanwhile, premium products are still dominated by global players like Bosch and Honeywell.
The new rules are based on the Essential Requirements (ER) norms introduced by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in April 2024. Under these norms, companies must:
Clearly mention the country of origin of key components like the chipset (SoC)
Ensure their devices are tested for security risks
Prevent unauthorised remote access or data breaches
Manufacturers were given a two-year window to comply with these rules.
So far, over 500 CCTV models have already received certification under the new system.
The government’s move is being seen as part of a broader effort to strengthen cybersecurity and reduce dependence on foreign hardware, especially from China.
If implemented strictly, the new rules could further boost domestic manufacturing and reshape India’s surveillance equipment market in the coming months.
- With inputs from agencies
