TEC MTCTE certification under the 2025 Telecommunications rules: which products need it and how to apply

MTCTE stands for Mandatory Testing and Certification of Telecommunication Equipment. It is how India checks that telecom equipment meets Indian standards before it is sold or connected to a network.

The core rule is simple. No telecommunication equipment to which a notified standard applies may be sold, deployed in a telecom network or otherwise used in India unless it has a valid Certificate of Conformity Assessment^[1]. The Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC) and the National Centre for Communication Security (NCCS) are the Appropriate Authorities. Security testing against Indian Telecom Security Assurance Requirements (ITSARs) is done at NCCS-designated labs for products notified for security testing^[1].

For an electronics importer, the key point is that MTCTE applies only to notified products. That list includes routers^[3], Wi-Fi access points and customer premises equipment^[3], IoT gateways^[3], trackers^[3] and similar network gear. It does not currently include mobile handsets, smart watches, CCTV or IP cameras, or set-top boxes as product categories^[3].

MTCTE is separate from the radio approval. On our reading of the two separate regimes, a Wi-Fi router needs MTCTE certification as well as a WPC ETA for its radio^[3], and it may need BIS CRS registration for safety too.

MTCTE now operates under the Telecommunications (Framework to Notify Standards, Conformity Assessment and Certification) Rules, 2025, notified as G.S.R. 315(E) on 16 May 2025 under section 19 of the Telecommunications Act, 2023. They came into force on publication and supersede rules 528 to 537 of the Indian Telegraph Rules, 1951, which is where MTCTE used to sit^[1].

The change is in the legal base, not a fresh start. Existing essential requirements, conformity assessments and exemptions continue until a new notification under section 19 supersedes them^[6]. On our reading, certificates and product lists issued under the old rules therefore still count.

What the 2025 rules add or restate that matters to importers:

• A clear sale ban. Rule 8(2) bars sale, deployment or use of notified equipment without a valid certificate^[1].
• Foreign labs, with a border condition. Rule 6 allows Conformity Assessment Bodies to be recognised in India or, in the public interest, abroad. A foreign lab must be ILAC-accredited and must not be in a country that shares a land border with India^[1].
• Exemptions. Rule 9 exempts equipment imported for R&D, demonstration, sample testing or a regulatory sandbox, and equipment brought in for personal use^[1].
• Enforcement steps. Rule 12 sets a stop-sale notice and a route back to compliance at ten times the normal fee^[1], and rule 10 requires telecom licensees to cut off users of uncertified equipment after notice^[1].
• Labelling. Everyone to whom a notified standard applies must display the standard details, including the certificate, in the manner the authority specifies^[1].

The rules are stable in 2026, but costs have fallen for security testing and small firms, and some test relaxations were extended into mid-2026. The MTCTE portal's What's New section lists the 2025 Framework Rules, revised Essential Requirements for SIM and IP security equipment, a reimbursement scheme for start-ups and telecom MSEs, security certification of ONT and OLT under the ComSec scheme, and a voluntary certification procedure^[7].

Cheaper security testing. DoT announced that from 1 August 2025, security test evaluation fees under the ComSec scheme fell to Rs 10,000, Rs 20,000, Rs 30,000 and Rs 50,000 for Groups A to D, from Rs 2,00,000-3,50,000 before^[8]. This matters only for products that also need security testing; one application then leads to an integrated certificate covering both the Essential Requirement and the ITSAR^[9].

Reimbursement for small firms. Under a DoT scheme effective 5 March 2025, start-ups can be reimbursed up to 75%, micro enterprises up to 60% and small enterprises up to 50% of testing and certification charges paid at TEC or NCCS-designated labs; it runs for two years or until its Rs 25 crore fund is used^[10].

Test relaxations. A TEC notice of 29 December 2025 reportedly extended certain generic test exemptions, and acceptance of ILAC lab reports from non-border-sharing countries for selected products, to 30 June 2026^[11]. We have not opened the notice, so check the portal for any later extension before relying on a foreign report.

Scale. When we checked on 1 November 2026, the MTCTE page showed 5,552 certificates, 11,533 certified models, 361 registered Indian OEMs and 431 registered foreign OEMs^[12].

Track these alongside other regulators on new rules for 2026 and the compliance calendar.

MTCTE was made mandatory in phases. Phase-1 products from 1 October 2019 and Phase-2 from 1 October 2020; Phase-3 and Phase-4 products between 1 January and 1 October 2024; Phase-5 from 1 July or 1 October 2024; and Phase-6 from 24 August 2025^[3]. Dates vary by product within phases 3 to 5, so the table lists the products most relevant to electronics importers with their own dates.

Not as things stand. The current MTCTE notified product list does not include mobile handsets or smartphones, smart watches, CCTV or IP cameras, or set-top boxes as product categories^[3]. For several of them there is also a specific exemption: S.O. 2372(E) of 24 May 2022 exempts mobile user equipment and mobile handsets, servers, smart watches, smart cameras and point-of-sale devices from prior mandatory testing and certification^[13]. Existing exemptions continue under the 2025 rules until superseded^[6].

This one is genuinely unclear. TEC's re-categorisation of 27 December 2023 lists "Hybrid Set Top Box" among MTCTE products in the Simplified Certification Scheme, alongside IoT gateways, tracking devices and equipment operating in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands^[14]. But set-top boxes do not appear as a category in the current notified product list^[3], and we did not find a mandatory date for hybrid set-top boxes in the July 2024 list^[14].

If you import a set-top box that combines broadcast reception with internet streaming, check the model in the Product Finder on the MTCTE portal and ask TEC before you ship. Note also that radio broadcast receivers, including other devices with a radio broadcast receiver interface, are notified in Phase-4^[3].

It can be either, and the difference changes the essential requirement and the date. Routers (IPv4, IPv6, MPLS, BNG/BRAS and cloud-control-capable) are Phase-4, mandatory from 1 August 2024. A consumer Wi-Fi router may instead fall under "Wifi Access Points and CPE", a Phase-3 category mandatory from 1 January 2024^[3]. Use the MTCTE portal's Product Finder for your specific model.

The category also affects the fee group: equipment operating in 2.4/5 GHz is Group B (Rs 20,000) and routers are Group C (Rs 30,000)^[4].

A foreign OEM's equipment is certified through an Authorized Indian Representative (AIR), which is an Indian company or firm importing its equipment^[5]. The AIR registers on the MTCTE portal with:

• its registration certificate;
• an authorisation letter;
• a notarised affidavit or MoU with the foreign OEM;
• the OEM's AIR authorisation letter^[5].

So an importer usually does the paperwork, but on behalf of a named foreign manufacturer that has authorised it.

Upload the full company document set at registration, wait for TEC to approve the profile, and only then file product applications. An Indian OEM or AIR uploads its company registration, an authorisation letter, the AoA and MoA signed by a director or company secretary, and the latest shareholding pattern with shareholders' citizenship; an AIR adds its MoU with the foreign OEM and the OEM's authorisation^[9]. TEC scrutinises the documents, flags shortcomings online, and approves the registration once they are fixed; only then can certification applications be filed^[9].

Practical traps from TEC's own FAQs:

• Wait for your own approval first. TEC advises an AIR to wait until its company details are approved before submitting the foreign OEM's details; a blank company name on a new application means the profile is not yet approved or was rejected^[15].
• One account per foreign OEM. An AIR authorised by several foreign OEMs needs a separate MoU or authorisation for each and a separate MTCTE account for each^[15].
• Short addresses. The address field allows only a few special characters and 100 characters, so abbreviate long addresses^[15].
• Language. Documents must be in Hindi or English, with a certified English translation of anything else^[9].
• 'Invalid credentials'. This can mean the account was rejected for improper documents, and TEC says to create a new login with the same credentials^[15].

In the application itself you select the product, variant, interfaces and associated models, upload the bill of materials and data sheet, and give manufacturing locations; the portal then shows the scheme, Essential Requirement and fee, and documents generally cannot be changed after submission^[9]. Associated models can be added to an already certified product under a July 2024 notification^[16]. The helpdesk is [email protected] and 011-23329117^[12].

Our MTCTE portal guide has screen-by-screen notes, and the authorised Indian representative entry and the foreign manufacturers guide explain the AIR role.

MTCTE has two certification schemes^[4]:

• General Certification Scheme (GCS). TEC evaluates test reports from TEC-designated Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) and issues a certificate, normally in 4 to 8 weeks.
• Simplified Certification Scheme (SCS). TEC does not evaluate the reports, and a certificate is normally issued within fifteen working days.

From 1 January 2024, TEC moved most notified products to SCS, including routers, LAN switches, modems, cordless phones, equipment operating in 2.4/5 GHz, IoT gateways, tracking devices, smart electricity meters, IP terminals, hybrid set-top boxes and SIMs. Network equipment such as cellular base stations, repeaters and radio systems stayed under GCS^[17]. Most products an electronics importer deals with are therefore SCS products.

The outline below follows the MTCTE procedure as far as our sources show it. Check the current procedure on the MTCTE portal before you start, as TEC updates it.

Yes, within limits.

• Recognised foreign CABs. Rule 6 of the 2025 rules allows a CAB to be recognised abroad in the public interest, but it must be ILAC-accredited and not located in a country that shares a land border with India^[1].
• ILAC reports as a relaxation. As a time-bound relaxation, test reports from ILAC-accredited labs may be accepted, except for parameters that must be tested in Indian CABs. Such reports must be no more than two years old when submitted^[4].
• The 2024 window. A TEC notification of September 2024 accepted ILAC reports from non-border-sharing countries until 31 December 2024 for certain network equipment, such as cellular base stations, SIMs and some radios^[18]. We have not confirmed whether that window was extended.

Safety is handled through BIS. For safety parameters in an essential requirement, TEC accepts a valid BIS certificate or a safety report from a BIS-recognised lab^[4]. On our reading, MTCTE does not replace BIS CRS; where both apply, they are separate obligations.

From 1 January 2024, only the administrative fee is charged for ER-based MTCTE applications, under both GCS and SCS^[17]. The fee depends on the product group. Family-based certification is charged at Group D^[4]. Testing fees are paid directly to the lab, and certificate modification and renewal fees equal the administrative fee^[4]. Fees are paid through BharatKosh/NTRP and are non-refundable, with limited exceptions^[4].

Budget the administrative fee plus the lab's testing charge, which is usually the bigger number. Testing fees are charged by the Conformity Assessment Body that tests the product^[9], and TEC has directed its designated CABs to display their testing charges on their websites^[19].

Published lab rates give a sense of scale. SGS India's published MTCTE testing charges include Rs 85,000 for a router and Rs 55,000 for a tracking device, excluding taxes^[20]. Some consultancies still quote a separate 'test report' fee on top of the administrative fee, for example Rs 30,000 plus Rs 2,00,000 for Group C, with timelines of 30-65 days^[21]; treat those as package prices, not TEC charges.

Worked example: a home router. A Group C router pays a Rs 30,000 administrative fee^[4]. If it is tested at a lab charging the published Rs 85,000 router rate^[20], the direct cost is Rs 1,15,000 before taxes. A start-up using a TEC-designated lab could claim back up to 75% of testing and certification charges under DoT's reimbursement scheme while funds last^[10]. A renewal or modification later costs the same administrative fee again^[9].

Refunds. Fees come back only if the application is not processed for reasons not attributable to the applicant, with approval of TEC's Sr. DDG^[9], so check the category before you pay.

Full fee tables are on MTCTE fees and MTCTE certification cost; compare across regulators on the India compliance fees 2026 data page, or build a full product budget with the compliance cost estimator. If you would rather hand the filing over, our WPC consultants page covers firms that handle both WPC and MTCTE.

Under SCS, a certificate is normally issued within fifteen working days; under GCS, normally in 4 to 8 weeks^[4]. Testing time at the lab comes on top and is not set by TEC.

One date rule surprises importers. For MTCTE purposes, the date of import of a consignment is the date it was dispatched from the foreign port^[4]. That matters when a product becomes mandatory while goods are at sea: what counts is when the ship left, not when it arrived.

A regular MTCTE certificate is normally valid for ten years from issue, raised from five years in version 3.0 of the procedure. A provisional certificate is normally valid for two years^[4]. The 2025 rules leave validity to the Appropriate Authority^[4].

Recertification is not needed for an unchanged model or brand, or for changes that only affect labelling^[1]. Modification and renewal fees equal the administrative fee^[4].

Apply for renewal at least two months before expiry; renewal is granted only if neither the Essential Requirement nor the model has changed^[9]. Our licence renewal date calculator works out the filing date.

Every person to whom a notified standard applies must display the standard details, including the Certificate of Conformity Assessment, in the manner the Appropriate Authority specifies. The MTCTE labelling requirements are in Annexure-D of the procedure^[1]. The procedure requires the OEM or brand name, trade name, model name and serial number, plus the TEC certification label (TEC logo with 'MTCTE' and the certificate number); for a foreign OEM, the AIR must ensure the labelling, and labelling is exempt for six months from the mandatory date or the certificate date, whichever is later^[9]. Under Annexure-D, the TEC logo must be at least 6 mm high and one quarter the height of the brand name, may be engraved, embossed or printed, may be shown as an e-label on products with integrated displays, and the manual must state that the product conforms to the relevant Essential Requirements^[9].

The retail package will also need the Legal Metrology declarations, and a CRS-registered product needs the BIS Standard Mark with its R-number^[22].

Check your artwork against all the label laws at once with the label checker and the product label checklist.

Rule 9 of the 2025 rules exempts from conformity assessment^[1]:

• equipment imported for research and development;
• equipment imported for demonstration;
• samples imported for testing;
• equipment for a regulatory sandbox;
• equipment a person brings in for personal use.

On top of these, S.O. 2372(E) of 2022 exempts mobile handsets, servers, smart watches, smart cameras and point-of-sale devices from prior mandatory testing and certification^[13].

Parts, repairs, re-used kit and end-of-life models are outside MTCTE, as are many electronics that are not telecom equipment at all. TEC's list of what is not covered includes spare cards, chassis, components, modules and transceivers such as SFPs and patch cords; faulty units imported for repair or replacement; re-used or relocated equipment with the same model and serial number; integrated systems made of individually covered equipment; and models declared end-of-life or end-of-sale before their mandatory date, with the list sent to TEC^[9].

Many products our readers import are not on the notified list, though they often need other approvals. Our product guides record that LED bulbs^[2], keyboards and mice^[2], UPS and inverters^[2], lithium-ion battery packs^[2], extension boards^[2] and e-bike chargers^[2] are not in TEC's July 2024 list.

Some less obvious products are covered. A 'Tracking Device' has its own Essential Requirement under the Simplified Certification Scheme in fee Group B^[9], which catches many GPS trackers. 'VHF UHF Radio System Equipment', including handheld portable stations, is a Phase-4 product mandatory from 1 August 2024^[23], which is why walkie-talkies need checking. The full list of 197 product variants is on our MTCTE products page^[23], and the HS code approval finder flags MTCTE alongside other approvals.

Most problems come from the wrong category, the wrong lab, or shipping before the certificate exists.

Rule 12 of the 2025 rules sets out the enforcement path. If notified equipment is found without a valid certificate, the holder is served a notice to stop sale, distribution or use within seven days. To resume, it can obtain certification within 180 days on payment of ten times the normal fee, and the authority may seek seizure or destruction of the equipment^[1]. Contravention cases pay ten times the applicable administrative fee^[4]; for a router in Group C that would be ten times Rs 30,000^[4].

Users are also affected. Telecom licensees must give users of uncertified notified equipment seven days' written notice to stop using it, and then suspend their service or connectivity if they do not^[1].

1. Importing a dual-band home Wi-Fi router. The router is notified, so it cannot be sold without a certificate^[1]. The importer first checks whether the model falls under the Router essential requirement or under Wi-Fi Access Points and CPE^[3]. Either way it is an SCS product, so the certificate normally comes within fifteen working days of a complete application^[17][4]. The administrative fee is Rs 30,000 if it is a Group C router, or Rs 20,000 if it is treated as 2.4/5 GHz equipment in Group B^[4]. The factory's safety report from a BIS-recognised lab can be reused for the safety parameters^[4]. On our reading, the radio still needs a WPC ETA^[3].

2. Importing smartwatches. Smart watches are exempt from prior MTCTE under S.O. 2372(E)^[13], so no TEC certificate is needed. The importer's work is on the WPC ETA, BIS, Legal Metrology and EPR side instead.

3. Importing GPS pet trackers. Tracking devices, including pet trackers, are Phase-3 products, mandatory from 1 January 2024^[3]. They are in Group B, so the administrative fee is Rs 20,000^[4]. Because the foreign maker has no Indian office, the importer registers as its Authorized Indian Representative with a notarised affidavit or MoU and the OEM's authorisation letter^[5]. A few units brought in first for lab testing are exempt as samples^[1].

The three approvals look at different things, and a networked product can need all of them.

For a side-by-side on the two DoT approvals, read WPC ETA vs MTCTE; WPC applications go through Saral Sanchar, with fees on WPC ETA fees. Unsure which applies to your product? Ask for a free compliance check.

As of 30 October 2026, we could not confirm:

• whether mobile handsets, smart watches, CCTV or IP cameras, or set-top boxes have been notified, or are proposed, after the current product list^[3];
• the mandatory status of hybrid set-top boxes, which appear in the SCS list but not the notified list^[14];
• whether the ILAC test-report window was extended beyond 31 December 2024, and the current list of parameters that must be tested in India^[18];
• whether the relaxations reportedly extended to 30 June 2026 have been extended again^[11].

We have since confirmed the Annexure-D label format; see the labelling section above^[9].