Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme
ISI Mark Scheme
BIS Registration Scheme (CRS)
BEE Star Labelling
WPC Wireless
MTCTE and TEC
CCOE - PESO
Medical Devices - CDSCO Approvals
Hallmark
DGMS Approvals
EPR and E-Waste
CE Marking
MTCTE (Mandatory Testing and Certification of Telecom Equipment) & TEC (Telecom Engineering Centre Approvals)
Telecom Engineering Centre (TEC) is an attached office of the Department of Telecommunications of Government of India and is the Nodal Organisation for Testing and Certification of Telecom Equipment. Traditionally, it has been engaged in various kind of approvals for equipment that need to connect to public networks or interface with them. These included Equipment Type Approval and Interface Approval. The Approvals are granted based on compliance of the product to standards published by TEC known as Generic Requirements (GRs) and Interface Requirements (IRs).
TEC has now also come out with a new regulation commonly known as "Mandatory Testing and Certification of Telecom Equipment" (MTCTE). Notified under the Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Rules, 2017, MTCTE provides that every telecom equipment (irrespective of whether it connects to public networks or not) must undergo mandatory testing and certification prior to sale, import for use in India.
MTCTE requires testing is to be carried out for conformance to Essential Requirements (ERs) for the equipment, by Indian Accredited Labs designated by TEC and based upon their test reports, certificate is issued by TEC. Certificates issued are valid for 5 years. Approval of Family of Equipment based on representative model testing is permissible.
"WHO CAN APPLY?" TEC approval as per GR / IR is necessary for a product that needs to connect to public networks or interface with them. These included Equipment Type Approval and Interface Approval. The approvals have been largely demanded for Government Procurements by MTNL / BSNL etc. but they are available for use by any desirous industry otherwise also.
MTCTE is an initiative where any telecom product coming to the country or produced by it has to comply to some minimum standards (named as Essential Requirements (ERs)) irrespective of whether a product that needs to connect to public networks or interface with them or not.
Basic Rules: MTCTE regulation assigns products for certification based on
General Certification Scheme (GCS).
Simplified Certification Scheme (SCS)
Guidelines to follow:
01. Testing in parts
can be performed at different labs but overall compliance of ER is must.
02. International
reports are accepted for some time but testing in Indian Labs is being mandated in phased
manner.
03. Test Results of
labs designated by MRA partners of India are accepted.
04. Certification
needs to be obtained only once for a model of equipment, and is applicable for any quantity
of the certified model of the equipment.
05. Associated models
of the certified telecom equipment shall be certified without testing.
06. Only
complete-in-itself, standalone, independent equipment are tested and certified under MTCTE.
07. Combination of
independent equipment made to form systems are not certified under MTCTE.
08. The issued
certificate shall be valid for five years from the date of issue.
09. In case where
valid Type/ Interface Approval Certificate (TAC/ IAC) issued by TEC, or TSEC issued by BSNL
based upon TEC GR/ IR is in vogue for any particular equipment, only incremental testing and
result evaluation is required for issue of certificate. The validity of this certificate
shall be for the remaining period of TAC/ IAC/ TSEC.
Procedural Steps for MTCTE Approvals
- The applicant registers on MTCTE Portal by uploading relevant documents.
- Applicant may submit application for testing/ certification after TEC approves registration.
- Applicant selects product to be certified, its variant details, available interfaces and associated models' information and shall upload BoM file on the portal.
- Applicable certification scheme, ER and fee is informed by MTCTE Portal.
- After payment of fee, applicant shall submit test results/ reports.
- If "reports not available", applicant is directed to testing section of MTCTE portal.
- Applicant selects CAB(s) of his choice for testing; CAB uploads test results/ reports.
- Applicant resumes the application and makes self-declaration of conformity (SDoC).
- Certification is Issued.
Under General Certification Scheme (GCS)
Applicant submits test wise compliance with test reports from any designated CAB or recognized CAB of MRA partner country. Results are evaluated against ERs, and if compliant, a certificate with labelling details is issued.
Under Simplified Certification Scheme (SCS)
Applicant submits a test wise compliance sheet along with a Self-Declaration of Conformity (SDoC). Test reports are generally not required to be submitted/evaluated, though TEC reserves the right to request them.
Documents Required (Typical)
- Legal Entity Status of the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer).
- Legal Entity Status of the Indian Authorised Local Representative (if Telecom equipment are manufactured by Foreign OEM).
- Indian OEM: Certificate of Incorporation/Partnership Deed and Authorisation Letter for MTCTE portal activities.
- If Applicant is Authorised Indian Representative: Authorisation letter from Foreign OEM and Affidavit/MoU signed between Applicant and Foreign OEM.
- Test Reports for all parameters (not older than 1 year) or Self Declaration of Conformity for SCS.
- Not Applicable declaration in respect of each parameter of the ER not applicable for the product.
