Which products need TEC MTCTE certification? The full list by phase, with mandatory dates

MTCTE is not a blanket rule for every electronic device. It applies only to telecom equipment for which a standard (an Essential Requirement) has been notified. Once notified, that equipment may not be sold, deployed in a network or otherwise used in India without a valid certificate^[5]. The legal basis is now the Telecommunications (Framework to Notify Standards, Conformity Assessment and Certification) Rules, 2025, made under the Telecommunications Act, 2023^[5]. The existing ERs, conformity assessments and exemptions carried over until replaced^[6].

TEC brought products in through six phases. Phase-1 started on 1 October 2019 and Phase-2 on 1 October 2020. Phases 3 and 4 came in between 1 January and 1 October 2024, Phase-5 on 1 July or 1 October 2024, and Phase-6 on 24 August 2025^[1]. TEC's consolidated Annexure-I of 1 July 2024 lists 197 product variants across Phases 1 to 5^[2].

Most of the list is network equipment that only telecom operators buy. The consumer and small-business products on it are fewer, and they are the ones importers trip over.

Dates below are the mandatory certification dates after all extensions. After that date, an uncertified unit of that product cannot be sold or used.

Yes, several times during 2024, which is why products in the same phase have different dates. The last consolidated change, TEC's notification of 1 July 2024, pushed five products to 1 October 2024: smart electricity meters (Phase-3), satellite communication equipment (Phase-4), and 5G base stations, hypervisors and IP terminals (Phase-5)^[2].

Relaxations on testing have continued since. TEC allowed a generic exemption from GPS-parameter test reports under all applicable ERs, running to 31 December 2024^[7]. A TEC notice of 29 December 2025 reportedly extended certain generic test exemptions and the acceptance of ILAC lab reports for selected products to 30 June 2026^[8]. We have not seen the notice itself, so check the MTCTE portal for any extension past that date. These relaxations change what you must test, not whether you need a certificate.

The test is the date of import, and for MTCTE that is the date the consignment was dispatched from the foreign port, not the date it reached India^[9]. Goods dispatched before the mandatory date for their product fall on the earlier side of the line. Models declared end-of-life or end-of-sale before their mandatory date, with the list sent to TEC, are outside MTCTE altogether^[4]. Keep the bill of lading with the dispatch date in the file, because the stop-sale notice gives only seven days to respond^[5]. Our worked example: a router batch dispatched from Shenzhen on 30 July 2024 and landed on 8 August 2024 was imported before the 1 August 2024 router date^[1]; one dispatched on 2 August 2024 was not. Plan new orders so the certificate is issued before the dispatch date, and track dates on the compliance calendar.

If you import gadgets rather than network gear, these are the entries to look for:

• GPS and 4G trackers. Asset, human, pet and standalone vehicle trackers are Phase-3 "Tracking Device", mandatory from 1 January 2024^[1]. See GPS trackers.
• Wi-Fi access points, mesh units and Wi-Fi CPE. Phase-3 "Equipment operating in 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz band", from 1 January 2024^[1]. These also need a WPC ETA^[1].
• Routers and switches. Phase-4, from 1 August 2024^[1]. A consumer Wi-Fi router may fall under the 2.4/5 GHz ER instead. See Wi-Fi routers.
• IoT gateways and smart hubs. Phase-3, from 1 January 2024^[1].
• SIMs and eSIMs, including M2M eUICC. Phase-4, from 1 August 2024^[1]. This matters for any product that ships with an embedded SIM.
• Radio broadcast receivers. Self-powered radios, car radios needing external power and other devices with a broadcast-receiver interface are Phase-4, from 1 January 2024^[1].
• Smart electricity meters. Phase-3, from 1 October 2024^[1].
• VHF/UHF handheld radios. "VHF UHF Radio System Equipment", including handheld portable stations, is Phase-4 from 1 August 2024^[2]. Whether low-power licence-free PMR 446 walkie-talkies fall within that ER is not settled; see walkie-talkies.
• Cordless phones, modems and IP phones. Cordless phones and dial-up modems are Phase-1^[1], DSL modems Phase-4^[1] and IP (SIP) terminals Phase-5^[1].
• 4G/5G home routers and fixed wireless phones. Phase-6 "cellular customer premises equipment" and "fixed wireless phones", from 24 August 2025^[1].

MTCTE is rarely the only approval. This table maps common imports to MTCTE status, fee group and the other approvals that usually apply.

Most disputes are about what counts as the 'equipment'.

• Modules and parts. Spare cards, chassis, components, modules and transceivers such as SFPs and patch cords are not covered^[4]. A Wi-Fi module bought to build into your own product does not need its own certificate; the finished device might.
• Systems built from certified boxes. An integrated system made of individually covered equipment is not covered as a whole^[4], but each box must be certified.
• Mesh kits. Each unit is 2.4/5 GHz equipment^[1]; certify the model, not the kit.
• 4G dongles and cellular CPE. Cellular customer premises equipment joined in Phase-6 from 24 August 2025^[1].
• Repairs and relocation. Faulty units imported for repair or replacement, and re-used equipment with the same model and serial number, are outside MTCTE^[4].
• End-of-life models. Models declared end-of-life or end-of-sale before their mandatory date, with the list sent to TEC, are outside^[4].

Three separate reasons take a product outside MTCTE.

1. It is exempt by notification. S.O. 2372(E) of 24 May 2022 exempts mobile user equipment and handsets, servers, smart watches, smart cameras and point-of-sale devices from MTCTE^[3]. That exemption carried over into the 2025 rules^[6].

2. It is not on the list. The notified list does not include smartphones, smart watches, CCTV or IP cameras, or set-top boxes as product categories^[1]. Nor does it include consumer audio, lighting, power supplies, batteries or cameras^[10]. Bluetooth earphones, power banks and chargers need other approvals, not MTCTE.

3. It is a part, a repair unit or an old model. The procedure excludes spare cards, chassis, components, modules and transceivers such as SFPs and patch cords; faulty units brought in 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, provided the list is sent to TEC^[4].

Also exempt by use: equipment imported for R&D, demonstration, sample testing or a regulatory sandbox, and equipment a person brings in for personal use^[5].

Every notified product sits in one of two certification schemes. Under the General Certification Scheme (GCS), TEC evaluates test reports from its designated labs and normally issues a certificate in 4 to 8 weeks. Under the Simplified Certification Scheme (SCS), TEC does not evaluate the reports and normally issues a certificate within fifteen working days^[9].

Since 1 January 2024 most products are SCS, including routers, LAN switches, modems, cordless phones, 2.4/5 GHz equipment, IoT gateways, tracking devices, smart meters, IP terminals, hybrid set-top boxes and SIMs. Network radio equipment such as cellular base stations, repeaters and radio systems stayed under GCS^[11][12]. The eleven GCS products are cellular base stations (up to 4G and 5G), BSC/RNC, E-band radio relay, HF radio, mobile radio trunking, PTP/PMP microwave radio, cellular repeaters, satellite communication equipment, VHF/UHF radio system equipment and compact cellular networks^[4]. The scheme also decides the fee group; see MTCTE fees.

TEC charges one administrative fee by group: Rs 10,000 (A), Rs 20,000 (B), Rs 30,000 (C) or Rs 50,000 (D)^[9]. SCS certificates normally issue within fifteen working days, GCS within 4 to 8 weeks^[9]. Lab charges are separate; one lab lists Rs 55,000 for a tracking device and Rs 85,000 for a router^[13]. Full details, reimbursement for small firms and worked examples are on MTCTE fees and MTCTE certification cost.

The MTCTE portal guide has screenshots; the outline is below.

Only within time-bound relaxations. ILAC-accredited lab reports may be accepted except for parameters that must be tested in Indian labs, and they must be under two years old^[9]. Compliance trackers report that the acceptance window for selected products was extended from 30 June 2025 to 31 December 2025 and then to 30 June 2026, together with the PON and generic test exemptions^[15]. We found no extension beyond 30 June 2026 on 1 November 2026, so plan on Indian lab testing for new applications. Foreign labs can also be recognised as Conformity Assessment Bodies under the 2025 rules, but not in countries sharing a land border with India^[5]. For safety parameters a BIS certificate or BIS-recognised lab report is accepted^[9].

The holder gets a notice to stop sale, distribution or use within seven days. To resume, it must certify within 180 days at ten times the normal fee, and the authority may seek seizure or destruction^[5]. Telecom operators must also suspend service to users of uncertified notified equipment after seven days' written notice^[5]. For SIM-based trackers and 4G routers, that means the devices you sold can stop working.

1. Assuming all Wi-Fi products are exempt because phones are. The 2022 exemption names handsets, servers, smart watches, smart cameras and POS devices only^[3].
2. Certifying the kit, not the model. Certificates cover models listed in the application^[4].
3. Using the shipment arrival date. For MTCTE, the date of import is the date of dispatch from the foreign port^[9].
4. Confusing MTCTE with WPC. WPC covers radio frequency use; MTCTE covers notified telecom equipment^[1]. A Wi-Fi router usually needs both; see WPC ETA vs MTCTE.
5. Ignoring the label. The TEC logo must be at least 6 mm high and may be an e-label on products with displays^[4]. Check artwork with the label checker.

• Phase-6 announced in February 2025 (reported: list of 14 items on 25 February 2025)^[16] and mandatory from 24 August 2025^[1].
• New legal basis. The Telecommunications rules of 16 May 2025 replaced the Telegraph Rules^[5] while keeping existing requirements and exemptions^[6].
• Relaxations ran to 30 June 2026, as reported^[15].
• No Phase-7 found as of 1 November 2026.

The portal showed 431 registered foreign OEMs and 361 Indian OEMs on 1 November 2026^[17]. Use the approval checker or HS code approval finder for a first answer on your product, see WPC consultants for help, or ask for a free compliance check.