TEC Essential Requirements

As part of the latest amendments made to the Indian Telegraph Act, 1970 (Amendment 2017), all telecom equipment must undergo mandatory testing and certification prior to sale or import for use in India. The Dept. of Telecommunications (DoT) of Ministry of Communications has entrusted its technical wing Telecommunication Engineering Center (TEC) with formulating specifications and procedures related to testing and certification under the Mandatory Testing & Certification of Telecommunication Equipment (MTCTE) scheme.

As part of the specifications, TEC has formulated Essential Requirements (ERs) for 40 different product categories including Routers, Switches, Access Points, Mobile Phones, IoT devices among others. The ERs consist of requirements such as Technical Requirements (Protocols and Interfaces), EMI/EMC, Safety, and Other requirements. Security requirements are also being formulated by DoT and will be added for every product category.

Lab Scope

CNLABS is a TEC designated CAB for undertaking MTCTE certification testing for Routers, Switches, IP Security Equipment, PON, among other equipment. Our expertise in RFC Conformance Testing and Interface Testing is unparalleled in India and is the reason behind us becoming the first lab to be designated for RFC conformance testing.

The IPv6 test requirements prescribed by TEC in most of the ERs is a subset of the IPv6 Ready Logo Test Requirements. As a globally approved IPv6 Ready Logo test lab and with a valid ISO17025 NABL accreditation, CNLABS already has the required capabilities to support IPv6 testing for all network equipment under the ambit of MTCTE.

CNLABS has the capabilities to cover most of the technical requirements prescribed for Phase-1, Phase-2 and Phase-3 products. Test coverage is continually enhanced for additional technical requirements on an on-demand basis. We also work with partner labs for EMI/EMC and Safety Testing for all equipment to efficiently support OEMs looking for a complete solution. CNLABS will also add Security Requirements under MTCTE to our lab scope when they are finalized by DoT.

Scope Summary

  • Technical requirements -> Conformance Testing (IPv6 suite, Routing protocols, LDP, IPv4, TCP, UDP), Functional testing (SNMP, STP MAC learning etc.), Interface testing (Ethernet Optical and Electrical)
  • Other requirements -> Functional tests for PON equipment and Mobile Handsets (IMEI, GPS, Panic button etc).
  • Security -> Planned
  • EMI/ EMC -> Supported through partner labs
  • Safety -> Supported through partner labs

Our current scope of TEC MTCTE accreditation is available here.

Application Process

All applications for MTCTE certification can be submitted at the MTCTE application portal . Commercials are agreed upon between the lab and the OEM or between the lab and the certification partner. OEMs can also reach out to us directly for any consultation or resolution of queries related to the application process.

Useful Links

Write to us at tec-certification@cnlabsglobal.com for additional details