TEC Certification (MTCTE) for Telecom Equipment
Mandatory Testing and Certification of Telecommunication Equipment, handled end to end: we check whether your product is notified, map it to GCS or SCS, line up designated labs, file on the MTCTE portal and answer TEC's queries. For Indian manufacturers, and for importers acting as a foreign maker's Authorised Indian Representative.
Fixed quote after a free product check; TEC and lab fees at actuals
Ask an expert on WhatsApp, freeWhat TEC certification is, and who needs it
Telecom equipment notified under MTCTE cannot be sold, deployed in a telecom network or otherwise used in India without a valid Certificate of Conformity Assessment. The requirement now sits in the Telecommunications (Framework to Notify Standards, Conformity Assessment and Certification) Rules, 2025, notified on 16 May 2025 under the Telecommunications Act, 2023; it began under the Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Rules, 2017. The Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC) and the National Centre for Communication Security are the appropriate authorities, and applications run on the MTCTE portal.
Certification is against the Essential Requirements (ERs) notified for the product. It is obtained once per model and covers any quantity of that model. Only complete, standalone equipment is certified; modules and components are not. The certificate details must be displayed as TEC specifies.
The applicant is either the Indian manufacturer or, for imported equipment, an Indian company acting as the foreign manufacturer's Authorised Indian Representative (AIR), with an MoU or affidavit and an authorisation letter from the manufacturer. Equipment imported for research, demonstration or testing, and equipment brought in for personal use, is exempt.
Why manufacturers and importers use us
Whether your product is notified, which ER applies and whether it is GCS or SCS, before you spend on testing.
Registration, the bill of materials pre-check, fee payment through NTRP and the application on the MTCTE portal.
The MoU or affidavit and the authorisation letters TEC asks an Authorised Indian Representative for.
Designated labs shortlisted for each test parameter, with samples and reports coordinated.
Start-ups and micro and small enterprises can recover part of the testing and certification cost; we prepare the claim.
Renewal filed at least a month before expiry, and modifications when a certified model changes.
Documents required
To register on the MTCTE portal
- Certificate of incorporation, or partnership deed or establishment licence
- Memorandum and articles of association, for a company
- Authorisation letter for the person handling MTCTE work
- For an AIR: MoU or affidavit with the foreign manufacturer, and its authorisation letter
For each product
- Product, variant, model and hardware version details
- Bill of materials in Excel
- Manufacturing location
- Test reports from a designated lab, or samples for us to arrange testing
Not sure which package fits?
A specialist will map your situation to the right plan in one call.
From product check to certificate
- Product check
We confirm whether the product is notified, the Essential Requirement that applies and whether it is GCS or SCS.
- Portal registration
Your company profile, as manufacturer or AIR, registered on the MTCTE portal with the documents TEC verifies.
- BOM pre-check
Product, variants and bill of materials submitted for TEC's pre-check; up to three corrections are allowed.
- Fee and testing
TEC's fee paid through NTRP, and each parameter tested at a designated lab unless reports already exist.
- CertificateValid five years
Results submitted, with a self-declaration of conformity under SCS; TEC's queries answered and the certificate issued on the portal.
Transparent pricing
Product check
Free
before you spend on testing
- Whether your product is on the notified MTCTE list
- Applicable Essential Requirement and GCS or SCS scheme
- TEC fee group and the fee you will pay
- Designated labs shortlisted for each test
- Portal filing
Certification
Fixed quote
per model or family, in writing before we start
- MTCTE portal registration as OEM or Authorised Indian Representative
- Product details and BOM through TEC's pre-check
- Lab testing coordinated for each parameter
- Application filed and TEC's queries answered
- Certificate issued on the portal
- TEC fee and lab charges (paid at actuals)
Renewal or change
Fixed quote
for models already certified
- Renewal filed at least a month before expiry
- Certificate modification when a certified model changes
- Check whether a change needs recertification at all
- New models
TEC's administrative fee and the laboratory's testing charges are paid at actuals and are not part of our fee. We review your product first, free, and then quote our fee in writing per model or family before any work starts.
TEC's fee by equipment group
| Equipment group | TEC administrative fee | Renewal or modification fee |
|---|---|---|
| Group A | ₹10,000 | ₹10,000 |
| Group B | ₹20,000 | ₹20,000 |
| Group C | ₹30,000 | ₹30,000 |
| Group D, and every family certification | ₹50,000 | ₹50,000 |
Since 1 January 2024 only this administrative fee is charged for applications against an Essential Requirement, under both GCS and SCS; the separate test report evaluation fee no longer applies (TEC notification of 27 December 2023). Laboratory testing is paid to the lab directly. The portal shows the group and the exact fee once the product details are entered.
GCS or SCS, and what else to get right
General or Simplified Certification
TEC re-categorised the notified products with effect from 1 January 2024. Network equipment, such as cellular base stations including 5G, repeaters, microwave radio, satellite communication equipment and HF, VHF and UHF radio, falls under the General Certification Scheme (GCS), where TEC examines the uploaded test reports. Most customer and IT equipment, including routers, LAN switches, modems, equipment working in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, IoT gateways, tracking devices, smart electricity meters, SIMs, set-top boxes and optical fibre, falls under the Simplified Certification Scheme (SCS), where you submit the test results with a self-declaration of conformity. The current list on the MTCTE portal is the one that counts.
Testing
Each parameter in the Essential Requirement is tested at a TEC-designated conformity assessment body or one of TEC's regional labs. Lab charges are agreed with and paid to the lab directly. Associated models of a certified main model can be certified without fresh testing, and a family certification covers configurations built from the family's modules.
TEC is not WPC or BIS
A wireless product may also need an equipment type approval from WPC, and some electronics need BIS registration. These are separate approvals and one does not replace another, so we check all three for your product.
Selling without a certificate
A telecom licensee that finds a customer using uncertified equipment must issue a notice and, if the use continues after seven days, suspend the connection (rule 10 of the 2025 Rules). TEC's procedure also charges ten times the fee to certify equipment found in breach.
Getting part of the cost back
Under the Department of Telecommunications' reimbursement scheme, start-ups can recover up to 75% of testing and certification charges, micro enterprises up to 60% and small enterprises up to 50%. The claim is made online within three months of the certificate; revenue must not have crossed ₹5 crore in any year since incorporation, and a start-up must not have raised more than ₹10 crore. DPIIT recognition or Udyam registration is part of the claim.
Related
After certification
The certificate is generally valid for five years (a provisional certificate for two), or until the AIR's authorisation from the foreign manufacturer ends, if that is earlier. Display the certification details on the equipment as TEC specifies, apply for renewal at least one month before expiry, and apply for a modification when a certified model changes. A model that is not different in any way from the certified one does not need to be certified again.
Frequently asked questions
What is TEC certification?
Certification by the Telecommunication Engineering Centre, under the MTCTE regime, that a telecom product meets its Essential Requirements. Notified equipment cannot be sold, deployed or used in India without a valid certificate.
What is the TEC certification fee?
TEC charges an administrative fee by equipment group: ₹10,000 for Group A, ₹20,000 for B, ₹30,000 for C and ₹50,000 for D, and family certification is charged at Group D. Since 1 January 2024 no separate test report evaluation fee is charged for ER-based applications. Lab testing is paid to the lab.
What is the difference between GCS and SCS?
Under the General Certification Scheme, used for network equipment such as base stations, TEC examines the uploaded test reports. Under the Simplified Certification Scheme, used for most customer and IT equipment such as routers and modems, you submit the test results with a self-declaration of conformity.
Can a foreign manufacturer get TEC certification?
Yes, through an Authorised Indian Representative: an Indian company that registers on the MTCTE portal with an MoU or affidavit and an authorisation letter from the foreign manufacturer.
How long is a TEC certificate valid?
Generally five years, two years for a provisional certificate, or until the AIR's authorisation from the foreign manufacturer ends if that is earlier. Renewal is applied for at least one month before expiry.
Is TEC certification the same as WPC or BIS approval?
No. WPC equipment type approval and BIS registration are separate requirements that may also apply to the same product.
Can start-ups get the certification cost back?
Under the Department of Telecommunications' reimbursement scheme, start-ups can recover up to 75%, micro enterprises up to 60% and small enterprises up to 50% of testing and certification charges, claimed within three months of the certificate.
Founders also file these.
Import Export Code (IEC)
The code every importer of equipment needs before the first shipment.
Learn more→Indian Subsidiary Registration
An Indian company for a foreign manufacturer that wants its own entity here.
Learn more→Startup India (DPIIT) Registration
DPIIT recognition, which the reimbursement scheme asks start-ups for.
Learn more→Official references
The statutory sources behind this page. We keep our guidance aligned to them: verify anything time-sensitive directly.
- Ministry of MSMEUdyam registration and MSME schemes
- DGFTImport Export Code and foreign trade policy
- FSSAIFood business licensing and standards
Facts on this page are checked against these sources; the date of the last check is shown at the top of the page. It is general guidance, not advice on your specific facts. How we write and check our guides.