SurveillanceIndia's demand for CCTVs growing fast

Published 10 April 2012

Since the Mumbai terrorist attacks in 2008, city surveillance has become a high priority for India; India has twenty-eight states, most with a capital city and a number of other large cities, and video surveillance is being planned for many of them

In a recently published market report, “The Indian Market for CCTV and Video Surveillance Equipment,” IMS Research (recently acquired by IHS Inc.) forecasts that city surveillance will be the fastest growing vertical market in the country over the next five years. These city surveillance projects have received much media attention owing to their size, with projects typically involving thousands of cameras. The research notes, though, that suppliers should not overlook opportunities in other vertical markets. High growth in demand is also forecast in airports, banking and finance, and utilities and energy, to name just a few. 

Since the Mumbai terrorist attacks in 2008, city surveillance has become a high priority for India. Video surveillance equipment has been sold for a number of city surveillance projects in recent years, including Bangalore and Kolkata. Many more city surveillance projects are planned for the future. India has twenty-eight states, most with a capital city and a number of other large cities, and video surveillance is being planned for many of them. Advanced plans for city surveillance are already in place for some, including Surat and Ahmedabad. A large project in Mumbai has been delayed many times, but is now expected to begin in late 2012.

According to Jon Cropley, principal analyst from IMS Research, “Planned city surveillance projects have received lots of press coverage due to their size. Five thousand cameras are planned for Mumbai alone. However, suppliers should not overlook the fact that many other vertical markets will grow quickly. For example, video surveillance revenues for Indian airports are forecast to almost quadruple between 2011 and 2016.”

Unlike the more developed video surveillance equipment markets of Europe and North America, India suffered much less from the recent economic downturn. The research says that with a growth rate averaging more than 20 percent over the next five years, India will continue to offer video suppliers good growth opportunities as more established and mature video surveillance markets continue to feel the impact of economic uncertainty.