Mavenir is set to join the likes of international telecom vendors such as Ericsson, Cisco and homebred Tejas and HFCL as it has also received the ‘trusted source’ approval like them from the trusted telecom cell of the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS)according to a person familiar with the matter.
This will be a big step forward for US-based Mavenir as even big players like China’s Huawei and ZTE are yet to complete the documentation process to be eligible for approval.
Though the company has not issued any official comment it is reported that Pardeep Kohli-headed Mavenir, which predominantly offers open radio access networks (OpenRAN) to telecom carriers has received the approval.
NSCS is part of the National Security Council (NSC) that advises the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on matters relating to national security and strategic interest.
To be recognized as a trusted source, telecom companies will have to access the portal and specify the telecom products they wish to procure and from which vendors, following which the government will contact the concerned vendors to submit the details of the products on the portal.
Further, the telecom wing of the cybersecurity body decides whether the products can be deemed as ‘trusted’ or not, once the vendor submits the required details.
For Mavenir receiving approval from the trusted telecom cell will aid the company to work closely with the telecom operators in India.
The Texas-headquartered Mavenir has been investing in Open RAN for the last five years and has partnerships with more than 250 telecom service providers worldwide.