The starting point of all approval process is the question about whether the product is mandatory to do approval or not. Especially for ICT product, sometimes it’s a bit difficult to answer because usually multiple type of approvals is required. Therefore, besides knowing whether our product is mandatory or not, we need to know what approval type is applied to our product.
For example, in India type approval we know 4 types of key approvals: WPC ETA, BIS CRS, TEC MTCTE, and BEE. From these 4 approvals, usually ICT products need 2 of them: WPC ETA and TEC MTCTE. WPC ETA certification is required by the product operating in free-license frequency bands in India. This certification is mandatory for all wireless products imported into or sold in India, which includes devices that utilize Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, RFID, Zigbee, NFC, or other radio frequency technologies. On the other hand, TEC MTCTE is required by telecommunication devices that connect directly to a telecom network. It verifies compliance with technical, and safety standards set by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
Mandatory Product List
As previously mentioned, is required by telecommunication devices that connect directly to a telecom network. All products comply with this definition are mandatory to comply with TEC standard. Regarding the product list, the mandatory product list is according to the following List of products covered under MTCTE phase.
On the other hand, WPC ETA certification is applied to all wireless products operates within free-license frequency bands which will be imported into or sold in India. This includes wireless product operates using the following frequency bands:
| No | Frequency Band | Maximum Effective Isotropic Radiated Power |
| 1 | 2400MHz-2483.5MHz | 36dBm |
| 2 | 2695.7MHz-2738.3MHz | 36dBm |
| 3 | 5150MHZ-5350MHz | 23dBm |
| 4 | 5725MHz-5875MHz | 23dBm |
| 5 | 5825MHz-5875MHz | 36dBm |
| 6 | 865MHz-867MHz | 36dBm |
| 7 | 402MHz-405MHz | Maximum Effective Radiated power of 25 Micro Watt or less, with channels emission bandwidth within 300KH |
| 8 | 13.533MHz-13.567MHz | 42 dBµA/m at 10 meter or 93.5dB µV/m at 10 meter |
| 9 | 433MHz-434MHz | 10 milliwatts with a channels bandwidth within 10KHz(10dBm) |
| 10 | 50kHz-59.750kHz | 72dBµA/m or 123.5 dBµV/m at 10 Meters |
| 11 | 59.750kHz-60.250kHz | 42dBµA/m or 93.5dBµV/m at 10 Meters |
| 12 | 60.250kHz-70kHz | 69dBµA/m or 120.5dBµV/m at 10 Meters |
| 13 | 70kHz-119kHz | 42dBµA/m or 93.5dBµV/m at 10 Meters |
| 14 | 119kHz-135kHz | 66dBµA/m or 93.5dBµV/m at 10 Meters |
| 15 | 135kHz-140kHz | 42dBµA/m or 93.5dBµV/m at 10 Meters |
| 16 | 140kHz-148.5kHz | 37.7dBµA/m or 89.2dBµV/m at 10 Meters |
| 17 | 148kHz-200kHz | 30.0dBµA/m or 81.5dBµV/m at 10 Meters |
| 18 | 9Khz to 50KHz | 72dBµA/m or 123.5dBµV/m at 10 Meters |
| 19 | 335.7125-335.8375MHz | 1mW(Emission 10KoF1D) |
| 20 | 76 to77 GHz | 5W (37dBm) |
| 21 | 433MHz-434.79MHz | 10 milliwatts with a channels bandwidth within 10KHz(10dBm) |
| 22 | 302-351KHz | -15dBµA/m (H-Field Strength) at 10 Meters |
| 23 | 36 to 38 MHZ | 50mw Maximum audio channel Bandwidth of 200 kHz |
| 24 | 446-446.2 MHz | 25W |
Why We Care
We may see on news that some products are getting caught by the authority during market surveillance because they don’t have compliance certificate. Well, that’s not purely because the importer/distributor intentionally didn’t certify the product. But that may also because some distributors or importers just don’t know that the product is a subject to an approval certificate. Of course, you don’t want this to happen to you, right? Because if it is, it’s not only putting the company to sanction, but also causing financial damage. Therefore, understanding what product mandatory and what product is not, is very important. If you have any difficulties in this process, especially when you’re processing India Type Approval, feel free to let us know.