According to the Economic Times report, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has decided to bring 5G phones under Phase-5 of ‘Compulsory Testing and Certification of Telecom Equipment (MTCTE)’ control from January 1, 2023. Telecom operators say that this move of the government will hamper its ambition to make the country a global base of manufacturing.
Airtel, Jio and Vi (Vodafone-Idea) have told the Department of Telecommunications that this move will reduce the shortage of 5G phones in the market. Users will not be able to buy 5G devices equipped with the latest technology. These operators have asked the government to withdraw the decision. The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), representing the operators, has appointed Telecom Secretary K. In a letter to Rajaraman, it has been requested that all those notifications related to MTCTE certification, which are related to consumer electronic products, should be canceled.
Significantly, COAI represents operators like Jio, Airtel and Vi as well as Apple, Google, Ericsson, Huawei, Nokia and other global companies. He has requested the Department of Telecommunications not to interfere in mobile manufacturing and allow this work to be done only under the regulatory framework of Bureau of Industrial Standards (BIS) and Ministry of IT and Electronics (MeitY).
Industry people say that a lot of time will be spent in the process of MTCTE. This will increase the problem of OEM. Their reach in the market will be impacted and there will be delays in launching the devices. A senior industry executive said the decision has caused uneasiness and uncertainty in the industry, as any disruption in the availability of 5G smartphones will reduce the pace of adoption of 5G services in the country. This will also reduce the overall data consumption.
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