By Sugandha Mukherjee,
The central government’s crackdown on Chinese apps and phones is seeing the closed-circuit television (CCTV) market undergoing a strategic transformation, driven by regulatory reform, a national push for self-reliance, and rising consumer expectations around cybersecurity and data localisation. In a space once dominated by low-cost Chinese imports, Indian surveillance brands are steadily gaining ground across homes, businesses and public infrastructure.
The regulatory overhaul is led by the introduction of the Standardisation Testing and Quality Certification (STQC), now mandatory for all CCTV products sold since April this year. Brands must now undergo government-run cybersecurity audits before their products can be marketed, along with tighter supply chain disclosure norms.
“From April 22 this year, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) cancelled certificates for around 400 brands,” said Anup Nair, president of CP Plus, India’s largest surveillance equipment manufacturer. “Under the new regulatory regime, companies must now submit products for cybersecurity testing at government-approved labs, even for private sector sales starting April 9.”
The tightened norms aim to promote “trusted sources” and restrict equipment from “land-sharing countries”.
“It’s not a simple certification process,” Nair added. “You need to demonstrate your supply chain, undergo lab tests, and allow factory audits. This will benefit serious players and weed out unorganised and grey market brands.”
The policy shift is already reflected in trade figures. Imports of surveillance equipment dropped from $767.09 million (Rs 6,520 crore) in FY20 to just $28.49 million (Rs 242 crore) in FY25.
As per Counterpoint Research, India’s video surveillance market was valued at approximately $3.5 billion (nearly Rs 30,000 crore) as of 2024 and is projected to exceed $7 billion by 2030.
CP Plus leads the market with an estimated 48% share by volume, followed by Prama Hikvision (the Indian face of the Chinese company Hikvision) at 26%. In value terms too, CP Plus retains the lead, although the gap with Hikvision is narrower than in shipment volume, as Hikvision commands a higher average selling price.
“Price remains a key factor, but growing awareness of data security and service support is pushing consumers toward trusted brands over cheaper grey market options,” said Varun Gupta, senior analyst at Counterpoint Research.
For CP Plus, these regulatory changes have created new opportunities. “Our sales have seen robust double-digit growth in the past few years,” said Aditya Khemka, managing director, CP Plus. “This includes everything from smart city infrastructure and public safety to retail, banking, education, and residential deployments,” he added.
While public sector contracts, including those with police departments, gram panchayats and smart cities, account for 15-20% of CP Plus’s sales, the bulk of its revenue now comes from private consumption. The brand’s reach spans more than 500 towns, supported by distributors, integrators and its exclusive CP Plus Galaxy outlets.
“We are fully aligned with the Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat vision,” Khemka said. On compliance, he noted: “Achieving the STQC certification reaffirms our commitment to tamper-proof and secure surveillance.”
Multinational electronics major Honeywell has also responded to India’s surveillance overhaul with deeper localisation. “There is a growing demand in India for intelligent, cyber-secure surveillance solutions,” said Jasmeet Bhatia, general manager, security and access solutions, building innovation, Honeywell India.
Earlier this year, Honeywell launched its 50 Series CCTV line, designed and manufactured in India in partnership with VVDN Technologies. “These are our first Class 1 certified products under the Make in India initiative,” Bhatia said. The company is in advanced stages of receiving STQC clearance.
“We welcome this shift,” Bhatia added. “It brings trust and accountability to the ecosystem.”
As demand grows across tier-II and tier-III towns and data regulations tighten, the market is set for a reset. “Expect a stronger local manufacturing ecosystem, wider cloud-based solutions and tighter regulatory norms reshaping both consumer demand and vendor strategies,” said Counterpoint’s Gupta.
But, despite gains in hardware localisation and compliance, the legal framework for surveillance remains patchy.
As per digital rights lawyer Radhika Roy, the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act applies selectively. “If a housing society installs CCTV cameras, or outsources the task to a third party, it may qualify as a data fiduciary and fall under DPDP Act. But if an individual installs a camera for personal use, they are exempt,” she said, adding that CCTV footage qualifies as personal data under the Act.