India Telecom TEC Certification Service
General Information:
TEC is the Telecommunication Engineering Center under the Department of Telecommunications. TEC certification has been a voluntary process since 1991, but in 2017 the Mandatory Testing & Certification of Telecom Equipment (MTCTE) regime was implemented making TEC certification mandatory for certain product types. Some product types became mandatory as of 2019, but much equipment is still pending an implementation date. There are several phases of roll-out for implementing different types of equipment. These phase implementation dates have been subject to change. To see the latest on the product types and their phase implementation dates, please see our India blog posts at: https://www.gmcompliance.com/category/asia-pacific/india/. Certification disciplines under TEC include: Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC/EMI), Safety, RF testing for wireless products, and Security. Others are under consideration.
MTCTE Certification Regime:
There are two types of certification schemes for MTCTE depending on the product. These are:
- Simple Certification Scheme (SCS) – Products under the SCS must meet requirements, but a test report is not required to be submitted for approval. If however questions arise during review, TEC can request a test report
- General Certification Scheme (GCS) – Products under the CGS must meet requirements as well as submit the testing report for certification
Essential Requirements (ERs) are given for each product category. These ERs reference specific product standards, which is where applicable discipline requirements are found. The GCS scheme requires testing of samples to be performed in India and a report generated from an authorized TEC lab. This report must be submitted to TEC for review and approval. This task is to be handled by the company’s Authorized Indian Representative (AIR). Upon acceptance, TEC will issue a certificate and an ID number associated with the factory producing the product. The TEC logo and certificate ID number must be marked on the product.
A family or series test plan is possible under the MTCTE requirements. This would allow for a worse-case sample or samples to be tested as representative of a series of products. TEC only allows up to 10 models per certificate. Applicants should be mindful about this limitation when preparing for TEC. The TEC certificate and ID numbers are issued to the factory that builds the product instead of the applicant or brand owner applying for approval.
Authorized Indian Representative (AIR)
An AIR must be established in India for TEC registration. If the applicant or factory has a representative office in India, this office must take the responsibility of AIR. If there is no existing representation in India, another legal entity within India can be nominated as the AIR.