India's Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC) has issued a supplementary instruction adjusting the essential requirements (ER) under the Mandatory Testing and Certification of Telecommunication Equipment (MTCTE) procedure and granting temporary exemption for certain test items.

Scope and conditions

The update supplements the TEC letters of 29 January 2025 and 16 October 2025 and their annexes. Under the new rules, applications for MTCTE certification of LAN switches are exempt from submitting test reports for specific parameters.

The exemption requires the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to upload a formal declaration to the MTCTE portal before 30 April 2026, stating item by item that the equipment submitted for certification does not support the exempted parameters. The temporary exemption remains valid until 30 April 2026 or until TEC issues further notice.

The change is intended to streamline the certification process, reduce the compliance burden on companies and at the same time ensure the core technical requirements for equipment are met. Manufacturers should watch the exemption deadline closely, submit the required declaration in time and plan their certification schedules accordingly.