Chinese CCTV ban in India (Image for representation)
New Delhi: Network equipment maker TP-Link said its India unit is part of its US entity, which split from China in 2024, refuting claims of being Chinese and thus banned from selling its CCTV cameras in India.
TP-Link India CEO Sanjay Sehgal told ET that the Indian entity, TP-Link India is part of TP-Link Systems, and not China-based TP-Link Technologies, with a Singapore-based holding company owning 99.9% stake in the Indian entity.
To be sure, the Irvine, California-based TP-Link Systems is owned by Jeffrey Chao and his wife Hilary. Chao is the younger brother of Zhao Jiaxing who owns the China entity.
Jeffrey moved to the US in 2024 to set up the California headquarters, after the US government initiated scrutiny on Chinese networking equipment providers over cybersecurity fears.
“There’s no denying the fact that when we started in India in 2009, we were part of the group based out of China. But between 2022 and 2024, the group at the global level split into two major entities,” Sehgal said.
“Right now we have no connection as such with China. We don’t have any of our sourcing, or R&D out of China,” he added.
The router and switches supplier entered the video surveillance market in India in 2021 with a range of internet-enabled cameras. Chinese CCTV camera makers had one-third market share in India during the period. The segment currently accounts for 10% of the company’s revenues in India.
However, as of 2026, the company is operating with a significantly smaller portfolio with the government enforcing a ban on non-certified internet-connected CCTV cameras, specifically targeting hardware with Chinese-origin chipsets or firmware.
Players such as HikVision and Dahua have not received certifications for their products.
Sehgal said TP-Link received government approval to sell its CCTV cameras in India as recently as February 2026, after applying for them in April 2024. Two out of the eight models it had submitted for testing have been approved so far, even as domestic rivals have over 20 models certified and selling in the market. The government has certified 507 CCTV models for sale in India.
The delay, Sehgal said, is not due to regulatory bias but rather a limited number of government-mandated labs led to a queue due to a large number of vendors trying to get their models certified.
Meanwhile, TP-Link has ramped up its local manufacturing of routers and cameras in India through electronics manufacturing services providers. 92% of its products are now made locally. “We are sourcing from a supply chain that is governed and directed by the Indian government itself, and all of this comes from Taiwan,” Sehgal said.
“We used to buy from China but since the government came out with the mandate, we started bringing components from the same vendors and manufacturers in Taiwan and US where all the other brands are also bringing from,” he added.
The company now plans to build its own manufacturing facilities and export its products from India.
TP-Link India CEO Sanjay Sehgal told ET that the Indian entity, TP-Link India is part of TP-Link Systems, and not China-based TP-Link Technologies, with a Singapore-based holding company owning 99.9% stake in the Indian entity.
To be sure, the Irvine, California-based TP-Link Systems is owned by Jeffrey Chao and his wife Hilary. Chao is the younger brother of Zhao Jiaxing who owns the China entity.
Jeffrey moved to the US in 2024 to set up the California headquarters, after the US government initiated scrutiny on Chinese networking equipment providers over cybersecurity fears.
“There’s no denying the fact that when we started in India in 2009, we were part of the group based out of China. But between 2022 and 2024, the group at the global level split into two major entities,” Sehgal said.
“Right now we have no connection as such with China. We don’t have any of our sourcing, or R&D out of China,” he added.
The router and switches supplier entered the video surveillance market in India in 2021 with a range of internet-enabled cameras. Chinese CCTV camera makers had one-third market share in India during the period. The segment currently accounts for 10% of the company’s revenues in India.
However, as of 2026, the company is operating with a significantly smaller portfolio with the government enforcing a ban on non-certified internet-connected CCTV cameras, specifically targeting hardware with Chinese-origin chipsets or firmware.
Players such as HikVision and Dahua have not received certifications for their products.
Sehgal said TP-Link received government approval to sell its CCTV cameras in India as recently as February 2026, after applying for them in April 2024. Two out of the eight models it had submitted for testing have been approved so far, even as domestic rivals have over 20 models certified and selling in the market. The government has certified 507 CCTV models for sale in India.
The delay, Sehgal said, is not due to regulatory bias but rather a limited number of government-mandated labs led to a queue due to a large number of vendors trying to get their models certified.
Meanwhile, TP-Link has ramped up its local manufacturing of routers and cameras in India through electronics manufacturing services providers. 92% of its products are now made locally. “We are sourcing from a supply chain that is governed and directed by the Indian government itself, and all of this comes from Taiwan,” Sehgal said.
“We used to buy from China but since the government came out with the mandate, we started bringing components from the same vendors and manufacturers in Taiwan and US where all the other brands are also bringing from,” he added.
The company now plans to build its own manufacturing facilities and export its products from India.
