Modern-day wars being waged in cyberspace; firewalls crucial to protect country's interest: Scindia

New Delhi: Cautioning that modern-day wars are not just fought on land but more so in cyberspace, Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Thursday asserted that robust cybersecurity and firewalls are crucial to protect the interest of the country, its citizens and businesses.

The minister said the new and robust Telecom Act has been brought and promised that every rule within the ambit of the legislation will be notified within 180 days.

He said while India followed the world in 4G and matched the world step-by-step in 5G, the country will "lead the world in 6G".

The minister, who was speaking during the curtain raiser for the India Mobile Congress 2024 event scheduled to be held in October, launched a testing and reimbursement scheme for startups and MSMEs. Further, he announced an MoU for capacity building on cyber security between the IIT-Jammu and the National Telecommunications Institute (NTIPRIT).

Pledging the government's commitment towards protecting the interest of citizens and businesses, Scindia said, "Today wars are not only fought on land, but more so are fought on the cloud, and it is important for us to have firewalls in place to protect our country, citizens and businesses." He said in 5G the carriageway is available now with network rollout, and so is content, but pointed out that different applications and use cases now need to come up.

"That is work-in-progress, and it will automatically happen...It is not just in India alone, it is a global phenomenon," he said, adding that 5G intelligent villages, 100 5G labs and other initiatives are aimed at bringing new applications to the fore.

Scindia said India has emerged as the most rapidly-growing communications market in the world and described it as the only market globally that has leapfrogged technology over the last decade.

Technology and communications will provide platform and opportunity to every citizen of the country, he said.

He said the government has kept a clear focus on bolstering digital infrastructure, on bringing about policy reforms, and harnessing domestic capabilities and talent.

"India is no longer only a consumer of global technology but also supplier of global technology," he said adding that the government too has moved from the role of a regulator to that of a facilitator.

According to an official release, the new scheme launched by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) around testing and reimbursement is aimed at easing the financial burden for startups and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) operating in the telecom sector. As testing and certification plays a key role in ensuring product quality and market readiness, the initiative will facilitate market access and spur business growth within the telecom industry.

Startups are eligible for 75 per cent reimbursement of testing and certification charges, micro-enterprises 60 per cent and small enterprises 50 per cent, with a cap of up to Rs 50 lakh. The initiative entails total outlay of Rs 25 crore and the application process will be entirely online, simplifying procedures and ensuring efficient handling of submissions.

Elaborating on the MoU for capacity building on cyber security between the IIT-Jammu and the NTIPRIT, the official release said as telecom and IT usage grows in India and people take to e-services, there is an underlying need for cyber security tools and techniques to be procured along with the manpower that can operate those highly technical domain tools.

The NTIPRIT has inked an MoU with the IIT-Jammu to provide this extended six-month hybrid (in campus and online) training to the selected 30 officers along with partner institutions that are leading in this field, the release said.