Argentina has made a United States industry standard the yardstick for the telecom equipment its government buys. The order, Disposición 7/2026 of the National Cybersecurity Centre (CNC), the state agency that sets security rules for critical networks, appeared in the Official Gazette (Boletín Oficial) on Friday 6 November 2026.
For US readers, the move ties Argentina’s state telecom buying to a standard written by a US industry body. Chinese telecom makers such as Huawei and ZTE may struggle to obtain the certification, although the order itself names no company or country.
What Happened
The order is titled Technical Supply-Chain Security Requirements for Equipment Intended for Critical Telecommunications Infrastructure. It was signed by Walter Fabián Agüero, executive director of the CNC.
It takes as its reference SCS 9001, a standard created by the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), a US trade body for the telecom industry. The standard certifies a manufacturer’s processes across the supply chain, and it does not test individual devices.
Who Must Comply
The rule binds the national public sector, including state-owned companies, when they buy, contract or operate equipment for critical telecom networks. State companies such as ARSAT, the state-owned network operator, fall inside its scope.
Private companies are not directly bound for now. They can still be affected if they sell to the state, because state tenders will carry the requirement.
The Telecom Argentina tower in Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires. Telecom Argentina is one of the country’s large telecom operators. File photo, 2017. Photo: FlorM2019, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.The Timetable
Within 90 days of taking effect, the CNC must identify which networks are critical and sort equipment into criticality levels. Reports on the order’s annex describe four levels, with SCS 9001 certification required for the top two.
Reports on the annex also describe a 36-month transition, during which proof that certification has started is enough. Equipment already installed may get adaptation plans, and replacing it requires a reasoned decision.
Where Huawei and ZTE Come In
The order excludes no supplier by nationality and names no company. Local reports note, however, that TIA does not certify companies on US government restriction lists, which include Huawei and ZTE.
More than 1,200 small internet providers operate in Argentina, according to the country’s internet providers’ chamber. Reports on the order mention no cost estimate for operators, so the price of any switch is unknown.
What It Means for You
For US investors in Argentine telecom and infrastructure, the order adds a compliance step for suppliers that sell to the state. Costs could rise if networks must replace installed equipment.
Non-Chinese suppliers could gain ground in state tenders, since certification is open to firms outside the US restriction lists. Consumers see no immediate change, because the order does not directly bind private companies.
What Is Not Known
The list of critical networks is not published, and the CNC has 90 days to draw it up. It is also unclear how many suppliers hold or can quickly obtain SCS 9001.
Enacom, the national communications regulator, has been asked to assess whether to extend the requirements to equipment approvals for the private sector. No decision is public, and Costa Rica and Paraguay have already used the same certification, with a Costa Rican court partly suspending its decree.