The Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Rules, 2017, provides that every telecom equipment must undergo mandatory testing and certification prior to sale, import or use in India. This is regulated through a scheme called Mandatory Testing and Certification of Telecom Equipment (MTCTE). MTCTE covers 55 types of telecom products along with associated variants. Testing is carried out to check conformance with essential requirements of the equipment, by labs designated by Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC). Certificates are issued by TEC based on the test reports.
The much-awaited notification for Phase-III & Phase-IV has been released covering almost all kinds of telecom products.
The objectives of the MTCTE are
- No telecom equipment degrades the performance of any existing network to which it is connected
- Safety of end-users
- Protection of users and public by ensuring that radiofrequency emissions from equipment do not exceed prescribed standards
- Compliance of telecom equipment with relevant national and international regulatory standards and requirements.
