TEC Certification: Types of TEC Approvals in India What is TEC certification? TEC certification is a certification mandatory for every telecom equipment dealer to import, manufacture or sell telecom equipment in the country. The Telecommunication Engineering Centre, or the TEC, issues the requisite Certification. The TEC certificate is issued only when the equipment goes through the MTCTE test, i.e., the Mandatory Testing and Certification of Telecom Equipment scheme. This mandatory testing for your telecom product is a must to seek a TEC license from the Authority. The Certification is a number or a unique ID for your approved telecom equipment. Once the TEC applicant gets it, he can stick it on the product to showcase to the customers that it is tested as per the MTCTE standards. Let us learn a little bit more about the Certification. Voluntary TEC certification Schemes The Telecom Engineering Centre offers a variety of voluntary certification schemes. These schemes are based on the product of the TEC and its interface-related technical standards. Also, such schemes certify the TEC equipment based on certain testing parameters. The parameters are against various conditions laid down in the respective technical standards as per the TEC directives. The TEC generally carries out its testing on-site at two places: ● OEMs premises ● Testing Laboratories For the TEC certifications, the Centre can accept test reports related to the following from ILAC signatory-accredited labs: ● EMC ● Safety ● Environmental Testing & others Types of TEC Approvals Let us detail some of the schemes applicable under the Voluntary Certification Regime as per the TEC standards: ● Type Approval ● Interface Approval

● Certificate of Approval ● Technology Approval Let us look one by one at them in detail. Type Approval Type Approval is the procedure for testing as well as certifying telecom products. This Certification happens in accordance with the Test Schedule & Test Procedure (TSTP) of the Telecommunication Engineering Centre. Such Certification seeks confirmation from the Standard for Equipment, or erstwhile Generic Requirement or GR of the product issued by TEC. In Type Approvals, the testing scenario is carried out on-site at any of the following facilities: ● OEMs premises ● Lab environment For such TEC certifications, the TEC can also accept test reports related to EMC, Safety, Environmental Testing, or more from ILAC signatory-accredited labs. Interface Approval In Interface Approval, the process of Certification of telecom products is done in accordance with the Test Schedule as well as the Testing Procedure of the TEC. , it must be in conformance with the Standards for Interface, or erstwhile Interface Requirement of the product issued by the TEC. In Interface Testing, the testing procedure is generally carried out on-site at the OEMs premises or in testing laboratories. For TEC certifications for Interface Testing, The TEC also accepts test reports related to EMC, Safety, Environmental Testing, etc., from ILAC signatory-accredited labs. In addition, Interface Approval is mandated as a compulsory TEC certification for Telecom Equipment. This mandation is done as per the following: ● Licensing Conditions ● Government Entities ● Service Providers Approval Certificate

Certificate of Approval or CoA is the process of testing a telecom product as per its Manufacturer’s specifications. The TEC grants the approval certificate only when it does not have a Generic as well as Interface Requirement for the product. The TEC conducts the testing in accordance with the Test Schedule & Test Procedure. TEC approves the TSTP here. It is based on the product description as well as the technical details provided by the Telecom Product Manufacturer. The certification testing is generally carried out on-site at the following premises: ● OEMs ● Testing laboratory For these certifications, The TEC accepts the test reports related to EMC, Safety, Environmental Testing, etc., from ILAC labs. Technology Approval In Technology Approval, the process of prototype certification of a telecom product is developed by C-DoT and R&D organizations. The TEC gives the Technology Approval against the product-related standard. The erstwhile Generic Requirement issued by TEC. The TEC generally carries out the technology testing at the OEMs premises or testing laboratories. For such certifications, the TEC also accepts test reports related to the following from ILAC signatory-accredited labs: ● EMC ● Safety ● Environmental Testing