WPC Wing, Department of Telecommunications
Any device with a radio in it needs an ETA before it reaches India
Equipment Type Approval is issued by the Wireless Planning and Coordination Wing of the Department of Telecommunications for equipment operating in de-licensed frequency bands. A patient monitor with Bluetooth, an infusion pump on hospital Wi-Fi, an RFID-tagged consumable, a wireless ultrasound probe: each is wireless equipment in WPC’s eyes, whatever it is in CDSCO’s.
Medfins International determines whether your device needs an ETA, assembles the RF evidence, and files on Saral Sanchar so the certificate is in hand before the consignment moves.
How ETA works now
Since the Department’s Office Memorandum of 9 September 2024, applications for ETA for licence-exempt wireless equipment are granted on a self-declaration basis. Applications are submitted on the Saral Sanchar portal with the requisite documents and fees, and the certificate can be downloaded from the portal on successful submission.
- Fee: Rs 10,000 per model, paid through Bharatkosh.
- Scope: granted per make and model. There is no relief for series model additions.
- Validity: DoT states the approval is valid for the lifetime of the model unless revoked by the WPC Wing.
- Documents: an RF test report, authorisation from the manufacturer where an Indian representative applies, and technical literature.
The modular route, which saves most of the cost
Most medical devices do not contain a bespoke radio. They integrate a commercially available Bluetooth or Wi-Fi module. DoT’s clarification of 29 March 2019 allows either the test report of the finished product from an accredited laboratory, or the test report of the RF module fitted in the model together with an undertaking from the manufacturer.
That matters commercially. An OEM integrating a pre-tested module does not have to retest the whole device, provided the module report and the manufacturer undertaking are properly constructed. Getting that pairing wrong is where the saving evaporates.
Self-declaration is not the absence of scrutiny
The undertaking an applicant signs commits them to the genuineness of the test report, to the product operating exclusively in licence-exempt bands within the notified technical parameters, and to extending full cooperation to the WPC Wing during any sample check or audit carried out for RF analysis or spectrum monitoring. The regime moved the check from before the market to after it. It did not remove it.
Import, and what an ETA does not cover
For devices in de-licensed bands falling under the free category of import policy, an ETA obtained through self-declaration, with the system-generated undertaking from Saral Sanchar, supports customs clearance and no separate WPC import licence is required. Where a device falls in a restricted category, the scrutiny-based ETA route applies and a separate import licence from the WPC Wing is needed on top.
The 2024 Office Memorandum is explicit that ETA holders must obtain any No Objection Certificate or other clearances from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade before importing, and that compliance with import regulations remains the ETA holder’s responsibility. An ETA is an RF compliance document. It is not an import licence and it is not a medical device approval.
Where this goes wrong
- Assuming the module supplier’s certificate is enough. The module test report is acceptable, but only with the manufacturer’s undertaking alongside it. Importers routinely present one without the other.
- Forgetting Indian-made devices. ETA is required for licence-exempt wireless equipment manufactured in India, not only for imports.
- Underestimating the per-model rule. A device family with six variants is six models and six fees, not one.
- Radar, jammers, drones and satellite equipment. These are outside the self-declaration route and need the scrutiny-based path.
- Leaving it until the shipment is booked. The certificate itself is quick, but assembling an acceptable RF test report is not, particularly when the module vendor is in another time zone.
Frequently asked questions
Does our device need an ETA if the Bluetooth is only used for servicing?
If it transmits in a de-licensed band, it is wireless equipment regardless of how often the function is used.
Can a foreign manufacturer apply directly?
Applications are commonly filed by an authorised Indian representative with authorisation from the manufacturer, which is one of the documents DoT lists.
Which laboratory can issue the RF test report?
DoT’s undertaking format refers to an accredited laboratory and asks for the laboratory name and country, so a foreign accredited laboratory is contemplated. DoT does not name a specific accreditation scheme in the documents it publishes.
Do we pay again each time we import the same model?
No. DoT’s 2019 clarification provides that the fee is paid once on initial application, and the same payment reference may be used for subsequent imports of the same product by the same applicant.
Does an ETA expire?
DoT describes it as valid for the lifetime of the model unless revoked. There is no fixed term to diarise, but a design change that alters RF behaviour creates a new question.