The Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC) is part of the Department of Telecommunications of the Government of India and is responsible for developing national and international standards, specifications, and guidelines for telecommunications products in India.
TEC is the governing body responsible for testing and certifying the telecom equipment that is deployed to provide services in the various telecom networks throughout India, and is the authority designated by the Government of India to evaluate, test, and certify the telecom equipment deployed in the telecom networks in India.
As part of this requirement, the Government of India has brought into effect a scheme for Mandatory Testing and Certification of Telecom Equipment (MTCTE) to ensure that all telecom equipment that is deployed complies with Essential Requirements (ER) with respect to safety, electromagnetic compatibility, security, and interoperability, as published by the Government of India in Gazette Notification G.S.R. 1131(E) dated 5th September 2017, and is responsible for implementing and enforcing this requirement. The aforementioned Gazette Notification makes testing and certification of specified telecom equipment compulsory.
TEC has several primary functions:
The Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC) administers the Mandatory Testing and Certification of Telecom Equipment (MTCTE) process, which ensures compliance with technical, safety and security standards for telecom equipment before deployment in India.
TEC releases Technical Standards & Specifications (i.e.Generic Requirement (GR), Interface Requirement (IR), Service Requirement (SR) and other technical specifications) for all telecom equipment.
TEC manages the entire lifecycle of MTCTE Certification (application processing, evaluation, testing coordination, Certificate Issuance, Certificate Modification and Certificate Renewal) through the online MTCTE portal.
MTCTE Certification ensures that telecom equipment conforms to Essential Requirements (ERs) notified by TEC. These requirements are designed to:
Protect users and telecom infrastructure from electrical, electromagnetic, and operational risks
Address security-related concerns associated with telecom networks
Ensure interoperability of equipment within Indian telecom systems
Enforce compliance with applicable technical standards and specifications issued by TEC
MTCTE Certification is mandatory before the sale, import, or use of telecom equipment in India
Only equipment that has been successfully tested and certified by TEC is permitted to be deployed in Indian telecom networks
Certified products are required to bear the TEC Certification Label, indicating compliance with MTCTE requirements
The entire certification process is conducted online through the MTCTE Portal
MTCTE (Mandatory Testing and Certification of Telecommunication Equipment) certification is required by all manufacturers, importers, and Authorised Representatives (AIR), below you can go through in detail:
Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs): Both Indian and foreign manufacturers produce telecom equipment.
Importers and Dealers: Importers, distributors, or dealers of telecommunication, networking, or ICT equipment into India.
Authorised Indian Representatives (AIR): Local representatives acting on behalf of foreign manufacturers.
Vendors/Suppliers: Companies supplying equipment to Indian telecom service providers.
Under the MTCTE Certification framework, telecom equipment can be certified through different schemes depending on its compliance level and testing requirements:
General Certification Scheme (GCS): Used for most telecom equipment and requires full testing against all applicable requirements.
Simplified Certification Scheme (SCS): This scheme applies to selected products and involves reduced testing, resulting in a quicker certification process.
Provisional Certification: This type of certification is granted when certain requirements are temporarily exempted. It is valid for 2 years.
Regular Certification: This certification is awarded after full compliance with standards and is valid for 10 years for the sale, import, and use of products in India.
To gain access to and be able to use the MTCTE portal, the user must initially set up a user account. To do this, an Applicant must follow these steps to create an account on the MTCTE portal:
User ID Selection Requirements: Each Applicant must have an individual User ID (or login ID). Each User ID must be unique compared to all existing User IDs and can therefore be used by each Applicant as their permanent login ID to access the MTCTE portal.
Password Complexity Requirements: The password must meet the complexity requirements established by the MTCTE portal so that an Applicant has a secure way to log in to the MTCTE portal and will include characters according to the registration instructions.
Email & Mobile No Requirements: An email address and mobile number that are valid and not inactive at the time of submission will be needed by each Applicant since those two (2) methods of communication are how the MTCTE will be communicating with the Applicants about application updates.
User Verification via OTP Method: User verification as an Applicant can be accomplished by sending an OTP (one-time password) to each Applicant’s registered email and mobile number.
CAPTCHA Validation Requirement: When the Applicant makes an initial application on the MTCTE portal, they will be required to use a CAPTCHA during the registration process to verify that they are human users and not robots or other automated attacks.
Now let's go through the application workflow of TEC Certification in India:
Login & Application Start: Log in to the MTCTE portal, and select the certification scheme (accept terms and conditions).
Product Details Submission: Provide details about equipment, including the model number, brand, interfaces, and software/hardware versions.
BOM Upload: Upload Bill of Materials in the prescribed format for technical verification.
Pre-Check Review: The Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) will review product details and BOM before allowing the application to proceed.
Fee Payment: Pay the applicable MTCTE fees through the BharatKosh (NTRP) portal.
Testing & Compliance: Submit existing test reports and select TEC designated lab for testing.
Evaluation & Queries: TEC reviews the submission and addresses queries through the portal
Certificate Issuance: Once approved, you will receive the MTCTE certificate, allowing your product to be listed as certified on the portal.
Let's go through the important documents required while obtainin TEC Certification:
Applicant name and designation
Company legal name
Company type (Private Ltd., Public Ltd., Partnership, etc.)
PAN and TAN details
Registered office address
Communication address
Authorisation Letter (Annexure-I)
Certificate of Incorporation or Partnership Deed
MOA & AOA (if applicable)
GST or UDYAM Registration
Trusted Source Certificate (if applicable)
The profile is submitted online to TEC for verification and approval.
For Foreign Manufacturers
AIR Authorisation Letter
MOU or Agreement between OEM and AIR
Affidavit, if required
MTCTE certificate validity depends on the valid MOU period.
Foreign OEM Details
Foreign OEM company name
Overseas address
Contact details
Manufacturing location details
MOU validity period
Any change in OEM details or authorisation must be updated on the MTCTE portal.
Here are a few simple steps to follow when filing a new MTCTE application.
Choose the correct MTCTE Certification for your product that will fit with the type of product you have, and follow all applicable regulations and guidelines.
Agree to MTCTE’s terms, conditions and privacy policy prior to submitting application information to MTCTE, as you must accept these prior to receiving any response from MTCTE.
Providing the complete product and equipment information required for the application process will help speed up the process of approval.
The product name/model: Please provide the product name and model.
List the various interfaces available for the product (i.e., USB, Bluetooth, etc).
Specify the model name and number for the EUT (Equipment Under Testing).
Provide the product branding for the item being tested.
Include the hardware version and the software/firmware version of the equipment.
If the product and its family of related products, please provide a list of any associated products/models.
Describe the purpose of the product and its main functions.
Bill of Materials – Submit the bill of materials (BOM) to properly account for the physical components used to assemble the product being submitted.
Upload your BOM as an Excel spreadsheet.
Use MTCTE’s standard BOM format/template.
Indicate up to 10 associated models for all the family certifications submitted.
Adhere to the guidelines for family certification when submitting multiple models for family certification.
Adhere to Annexure-IV documentation and BOM specifications with regard to compliance.
Paying for MTCTE Certification Fees is simple and secure:
Fee Types:
Administrative Fee: It is a mandatory processing fee.
Evaluation Fee: Applicable if product evaluation is required.
Payment Mode:
Online Payment: Available through the NTRP portal.
Offline Payment: It can be made via NEFT or RTGS bank transfer.
NTRP Portal Integration
BharatKosh Portal: Integrated for easy fee submission.
Transaction Tracking: Monitor the status of your payment in real-time.
Payment Receipt: Instantly download your official receipt.
Session Timeout Handling: Provides secure session management.
Offline Challan: Generate an offline payment challan if necessary.
To obtain MTCTE certification, you need to provide some documents, such as registration of the company and the company's authorisation letters to the appropriate agency, plus the Articles of Association of the company. Some other types of documents you need to provide when applying for TEC are listed below as part of the base documentation.
|
Certification Type |
Duration |
|
Mandatory Certification |
60 Days |
|
Voluntary Certification |
20-30 Days |
|
Voluntary Security Certification |
60-90 Days |
|
Cas/Sms Certification |
90-120 Days |
Steps for MTCTE certification testing, for applicants with or without lab reports.
Self-Declaration of Conformity (SDOC): Submit a declaration that the product meets MTCTE standards.
Parameter-wise Compliance: Confirm compliance for each technical parameter.
Upload Test Reports: Submit PDF reports only.
File Size Limits: Ensure files are within the allowed size.
Multiple Reports per Parameter: Upload several reports if needed.
Exemptions Handling (Annexure-VII): Follow Annexure-VII for exemptions from testing.
Selection of CAB / RTEC: Choose a Certified Accredited Body (CAB) or Recognised Testing & Evaluation Centre (RTEC).
Lab Selection per Parameter: Assign each technical parameter to the correct lab.
In-station / Out-station Testing: Decide test location (lab or your facility).
Coordination with Labs: Manage scheduling, sample submission, and communication.
Testing Fee Payment to RTEC: Pay fees directly to the selected RTEC.
For companies needing to modify existing certificates (e.g., due to software/hardware changes or adding associated models), need to know:
Modification Eligibility: Determine if the certificate can be modified.
Regular Certificate Modifications: Options for changing details on a full certificate.
Provisional Certificate Modifications: Options for temporary/provisional certificates.
BOM Modification: Update Bill of Materials if required.
Fee Payment: Pay the fees applicable to modification requests.
Application Status Tracking: Monitor modification request progress via the portal.
Below, we have mentioned the renewal services for MTCTE Certification:
Renewal Eligibility: Check if your certificate is eligible for renewal.
Renewal Application Process: Submit renewal application following MTCTE guidelines.
Continuity of Compliance: Ensure ongoing compliance during the renewal period.
In case of any query or problem you can easily contact helpdesk:
Role of Helpdesk: Assist applicants with certification processes.
Query Raising Process: Submit queries through the portal.
Query Tracking: Track the status of submitted queries.
Email Support: Contact at help.mtcte.tec@gov.in for assistance.
ERCS Private Limited provides complete support for TEC (MTCTE) certification of telecom and electronic products in India. They help assess product eligibility and guide you on regulatory standards. Their team assists in application filing, including product details, family models, and BOM documentation.
For testing, ERCS coordinates with CABs and RTECs, helping with sample submission, parameter-wise testing, and compliance with Annexure guidelines. They also manage fee payment, portal submissions, and track application status.
After evaluation, ERCS supports query handling, certificate issuance, modifications, and renewals, ensuring your product stays compliant. With ERCS, the entire TEC Certification process becomes faster, hassle-free, and fully compliant with Indian telecom standards.
To give you the best compliance services in India, experienced BIS certification consultants at ERCS are ready to assist you at every stage of certification. Find out everything you need to know about the compliance your product requires to get into the Indian market and develop a trusted customer base.