Requisites of MTCTE

Under MTCTE regulations, any original equipment manufacturer or importer who wishes to sell, import, or use any telecom equipment in India must be certified by the TEC. The testing is to be carried out in conformance to essential requirements for the equipment as laid out by IEC/ISO 17025 accredited labs designated by TEC.

The Testing and Certification framework requires that all telecom equipment entering India meets the essential requirements under:

• Energy
• E-Waste
• Wireless (WPC)         

The main objectives of the certification process are as follows:

• To prevent any telecom equipment from degrading the performance of the existing network upon introduction
• End-user safety
• Protection of users and the general public by ensuring that radio frequency emissions from equipment do not exceed prescribed standards
• Compliance with the relevant national and international regulatory standards and requirements

EMI/EMC

Electromagnetic interference (EMI), also known as radio frequency interference (RFI), mainly occurs when electromagnetic energy disrupts the operation of an electronic device. This can be caused by natural occurrences or human error. 

Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) is the ability of a device to function as intended in an environment with other electrical devices or sources of EMI without affecting the other devices. 

EMI can be trivial in some cases and severe in others, so it is vital to ensure EMC requirements are met. Compliance to EMC requirements can be achieved by adhering to the requirements defined in TEC's Essential Requirements. These requirements, in turn, refers to national and international standards such as CISPR 32 and IEC/EN 61000 series of standards. 

Safety

Safety is a crucial criterion that cannot be taken lightly by manufacturers. It is imperative for them to adhere to all safety regulations established by the TEC under MTCTE. An electronic or electrical equipment must provide protection against various safety hazards, including electric shocks, harmful radiations, excessive heating, implosions, mechanical instability, and fire.

Safety requirements are set by the TEC in accordance with the IEC 60950/ IEC 62368 or equivalent Indian Standards. 

The standard is intended to reduce the risk of injury or damage due to the following:

• Electric shocks
• Energy related hazards
• Fire
• Heat related hazards
• Mechanical hazards
• Radiation
• Chemical hazards

The IEC 60950 series prioritizes safety of users (or operators) and service persons. It requires all manufacturers to follow these design measures:

• Where possible, specify design criteria that will eliminate, reduce or guard against hazards;
• Where the above is not practicable because the functioning of the equipment would be impaired, specify the use of protective means independent of the equipment, such as personal protective equipment (which is not specified in this standard);
• Where neither of the above measures is practicable, or in addition to those measures, specify the provision of markings and instructions regarding the residual risks.

Technical Requirements

The telecom industry in India is currently experiencing a phase of rapid transformation, characterized by the emergence of various new technologies and innovations. Alongside these advancements, the demand for enhanced technology has also witnessed a significant upsurge. To cater to this evolving landscape, the TEC has formulated technical requirements outlined in the Essential Requirements, such as:

• Average Launch power 
• Receiver Sensitivity
• Wavelength
• Nominal Bit Rate with Tolerance
• Latency of PON
• MAC Address Limitation in PON
• MAC Based 802.1x Authentication in PON
• Over Voltage and over Current Protection
• Password Based Authentication in PON
• Maximum Bandwidth Limiting in PON
• Minimum Guaranteed Bandwidth in PON
• Minimum Two Classification in PON
• IPv4 and IPv6 requirements 

Cybersecurity Requirements

The Security Assurance Standards (SAS) division of NCCS (National Cell for Communication Security) is responsible for the development of telecom security requirements/standards known as Indian Telecom Security Assurance Requirements (ITSARs). It is necessary to meet these requirements in order to receive TEC certification.  

The major security requirements are:

• Access and Authorization
• Authentication and Attribute Management
• Software Security
• System Secure Execution Environment
• User Audit
• Data Protection
• Network Services 
• Attack Prevention Mechanism 
• Vulnerability Testing Requirements
• Operating System
• Web Interface
• Other Security Requirements

Energy

In addition to above, TEC requires Telecom equipment to comply to Energy Consumption Rating (ECR) requirements as defined in the ER 74046.  The objective of this requirement is to give full transparency to infrastructure providers and consumers to choose better energy saving equipment.   ECRs requirements can be fulfilled by testing telecom equipment according to various international standards by manufacturers themselves or in external labs. 

Based on the ECRs, telecom manufactures can also obtain Energy Passport. Energy Passport is a visual sign of compared results of ECR of same category of products, equipment and networks or services.  Energy Passport classification will be used to signify relative position of product, equipment and network or services on energy consumption rating scale for certification and labelling purpose. 

Note: Additional compliance requirements such as e-waste management rules and Wireless Planning and Coordination (WPC) are to be considered as applicable in addition to the TEC approval.

IPv6 Router

LAN Switch L3 / L2 Managed

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L2 unmanaged LAN Switch

PON OLT

PON ONT

IP Security Equipment

Set Top Box

Session Border Controller

IP Terminal

Transmission Terminal Equipment-2

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Transmission Terminal Equipment-1

Wi-Fi Devices

Soft Switch