India to ban sales of Chinese CCTV brands Hikvision, TP-Link and Dahua from 1 April: Report

Indian government is set to bar Chinese video surveillance companies like Hikvision, Dahua, and TP-Link from selling internet-connected CCTV cameras starting April 1, according to a report by The Economic Times.

The report notes that the government is planning to explicitly refuse to certify products manufactured by these companies or those using Chinese chipsets. Why is India banning Chinese CCTV cameras?

Reportedly, the ban comes after the Essential Requirements norms for CCTV cameras introduced by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in April 2024.

Under the rules, the government provided the industry with a two-year transition window to certify each product under the Standardisation Testing and Quality Certification regime at certified labs.

The rules state that manufacturers must explicitly declare the country of origin for critical components like the System-on-Chip. Devices must also be rigorously tested against vulnerabilities that could allow for unauthorised remote access.

As of now, only 507 CCTV camera models have successfully secured government certification. Which brands are affected by the new rules?

Reportedly, the stringent certification process has forced major Chinese players to either drastically alter their supply chains or exit the Indian market entirely.

Anup Nair, director of strategy and operations at Aditya Infotech, told the publication that a massive factory built to produce two million Hikvision cameras per month was denied certification simply because it manufactured Chinese products.