WPC Certification and Approvals

Here, to help you comply with your WPC certification requirements in order to Import or manufacturer wireless products in India. We provide end to end support from assessing the product to getting it complied as per the Indian regulatory requirements.
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WPC Certification and Approvals

Wireless Planning and Coordination (WPC)

The Wireless Planning and Coordination (WPC) Wing of the Ministry of Communications is part of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), is responsible for Frequency Spectrum Management, including licencing, and serves the needs of all wireless users in the country. It carries out the statutory functions of the Central Government by issuing licences to establish, maintain, and operate wireless stations. WPC is a part of the Department of Telecommunications which comes under the Ministry of Communication, it has five Regional Licensing Offices with headquarters in New Delhi

Delhi (RLO-North)
Mumbai (RLO-West)
Chennai (RLO-South)
Kolkata (RLO-East)
Guwahati (RLO-North East)
Wireless Planning and Coordination (WPC)

Role of WPC

WPC allocates and monitor the Radio frequency spectrum, it issue the licenses and approvals required to Import the wireless product or utilise the Radio frequency spectrum in India.

The various type of certification requirements is listed below:
Equipment Type Approval/ETA Certification/Type Approval/ETA/Equipment Type Approval Through Self declaration/ETA-SD
Experimental license
Manufacturing and Testing License
Dealer possession License (DPL) and Non-Dealer possession License (NDPL)
Import license
PM-Wani
ROLE of WPC

Equipment Type Approval and Equipment Type Approval through Self-Declaration

It is a mandatory certification requirement for the products operating in delicensed frequency bands to Import any wireless product for commercial use India. This approval is issued based on the RF characteristics of the products, the bandwidth, emission, power, and other parameters must meet the limits specified in various notifications issued by WPC. All wireless products that operate in the license-free band must be certified by the WPC before they can be deployed in India.
The Type approval is subdivided into ETA and ETA SD, for more details kindly refer to the below table:
ETA (Equipment Type Approval)
The product which falls in the restricted category of the EXIM policy of DGFT requires ETA approval
The uploaded documents are scrutinised by WPC, the timeline is expected to be 2-3 weeks
Import license is required after taking ETA.
Digitally signed documents are mandatory.
The product which falls in the free category of the EXIM policy of DGFT requires ETA-SD approval
Scrutiny of the documents is not done. The certificate is issued immediately after final submission.
Import Permission is required after ETA-SD.
Digitally signed documents are not mandatory
ETA (Equipment Type Approval through self declaration)

Documentation for Type Approval

The ETA and ETA-SD both applications are submitted online through the Saral Sanchar portal and the document required are as below:

Radio frequency test report of the product/module from an accredited test lab
Technical datasheet of the product
Authorisation letter

Process Flow

Experiment license

Experiment License
The scope of the term experimental service would include and mean any service utilizing radio waves in experiments with a view to the development of science or technique. Experimental License Rules are applicable to licensed bands and is taken for all the wireless equipment to perform experimental service. It is to be taken for each testing location separately, the applications submissions are done online through the Saral Sanchar portal.

Documentation for Experimental license
Technical specification of the product
Test bed setup
Schematic diagram
Application form

All the documents for experiment license are to digitally be signed digitally. The time for the certification depends upon the category and may vary from 2 days to 5 months.

Dealer Possession License (DPL) & Non-Dealer Possession License (NDPL)

DPL is issued for the prospective dealers and distributors of wireless products. The DPL enables a person or company to possess and transact in the wireless products which are operating in licensed frequency bands. The DPL holder further transfer the device to the customers for use and every user must already have an Operating License or valid license issued by WPC. A person applying for a Demonstration license must already possess a valid DPL license. If not, then the applicant needs to apply for a DPL license first.

DPL

NDPL 

NDPL is issued to a person or company which is neither a dealer of wireless products, nor holds any other license from WPC but still propose to hold wireless equipment in their possession. 

Before applying for NDPL, the applicant needs to apply for DL (Decision Letter)/WOL (Wireless Operating License)/WOC Reference Letter.

Few of the Examples for products covered for DPL and NDPL: Any wireless Telegraphy apparatus working in license frequency band, Walkie Talkie, Two-way Radio, etc.

RF testing of wireless products for WPC Certification

RF testing is a way to check the frequency of your radio equipment to ensure that they are using their space on the spectrum efficiently. All the products which work in wireless frequency bands require RF test reports from an accredited test laboratory to get the WPC certification.

We can help the manufacturer, applicant, OEM or Brand with RF testing and RF test reports as per the gazettes issued by WPC.

Local Representative Service (AIR) for WPC CERTIFICATION And license

Delicensed Bands in India

Local Representation or Authorised Indian Representative

The applicant (Authorized Indian Representative) is the legal representative of wireless product model imported in India. The entity legally responsible for all technical & other information mentioned in the application and faces the risk of prosecution under law in the event of wrong declaration or misrepresentation of facts.

Being an authorised representative who has technical experience in wireless approvals, VINCULAR may assist applicants in obtaining the Wireless Certifications.

FAQs

ETA through self-declaration is applicable to the products which are working in delicensed frequency band and falls in the free category of the EXIM policy
A fee of INR 10,000 is applicable for each product having one or more inbulit models
There is no period restriction for ETA and no further renewal is applicable.
Once an ETA is issued for a product either through Self-Declaration or through RLO, it can be used subsequently by other persons for the purpose of import without any additional payment.
By checking the HSN code on DGFT website, If the HSN code (product) fall under free to import category that means ETA-SD certificate is required else if the product fall under restricted category that means ETA certificate will be applicable.
Yes, all the product BIS Approved product also need WPC ETA Certificate.
Every model should have the certificate. The model value can be set to X, but the value of X should be defined. In this case too the certificate for the end model is taken.
No, as per the new updates in the portal we cannot apply twice for the same model. If one wants to apply for the same model again, one has to get the already issued certificate removed from the portal
No, we cannot make any changes in the final ETA SD certificate once issued.
Yes, as per the new requirement by WPC it is mandatory to link both the portal (NSWS & Saral Sanchar Portal).
Any individual or organization can apply for an experimental license, including universities, research organizations, and private companies.
In India, an experimental license is a type of license issued by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to conduct experiments with new wireless technologies or services. 
The experiments can range from testing new technologies or services, to testing the feasibility of using existing technologies or services in new ways. Examples of experiments include testing new frequency bands, new modulation techniques, or new transmission protocols.
Yes, there are several restrictions on the use of an experimental license in India. For example, the license is only valid for a specific period, and the experiment must be conducted in accordance with the terms and conditions of the license. Additionally, the licensee is responsible for ensuring that the experiment does not interfere with existing wireless services or equipment.

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