The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in February issued guidelines for the registration of machine-to-machine (M2M) service providers and WPAN/WLAN (wireless personal area network/ wireless local area network) connectivity providers offering M2M services.
The guidelines were issued to address concerns like interface issues with telecom service providers, know-your-customer (KYC) compliance, security and encryption. A DoT circular said the move aimed to create a robust digital communication infrastructure, enable next-generation technologies, and ensure a holistic and harmonised approach for harnessing emerging technologies such as M2M and the internet of things.
The DoT has outlined various requirements for registration such as an M2M service provider furnishing the details of the location of their IT setup/core network. The guidelines enable authorised telecom operators to provide M2M services to third parties under their existing license without a separate registration.
It also mandates technical conditions such as M2M service providers and WPAN/WLAN connectivity providers needing to obtain telecom resources such as bandwidth, leased line, etc., from an authorised telecom service provider. In addition, M2M service providers can use WPAN/WLAN technologies in the unlicensed spectrum to provide M2M services.
In the case of WPAN/WLAN technologies in the unlicensed spectrum/frequency band, WPAN/WLAN connectivity providers will have to connect to licensed telecom operators’ networks for backhaul connectivity to provide connectivity for M2M services.
M2M service providers must keep updated records relating to customer details. Updated details of M2M end devices like IMEI (international mobile equipment identity), ESN (electronic serial number) etc., as well as details such as make, model, registration number of the machines should be made available to the authorised telecom licensee and the DoT. M2M service providers are required to adhere to DoT instructions that permit the use of e-SIMs with both single and multiple profile configurations, with Over the Air (OTA) subscription update facility, and these are as per prevailing global specifications and standards.
Among the security conditions outlined, M2M service providers and WPAN/WLAN connectivity providers need to ensure that all data logs, event logs, system logs etc., handled by their system will be tamper-proof, and these records must be preserved for at least a year if needed by the DoT for inspection.
The registrants must also only make use of devices or equipment in the network that meet Telecommunications Engineering Centre (TEC) standards and certifications, or those set by national and international standardisation bodies such as the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute), etc.
