MTCTE regulations may delay 5G rollout

The wait for a 5G network in India may become a little longer as network gear supply in the country may be disrupted in the weeks ahead. This is because, beginning July 1, 2022, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) intends to evaluate all foreign-made network gear for safety procedures at local research facilities under the Mandatory Testing & Certification of Telecom Equipment (MTCTE) regulations.

The DoT’s mandate that all network equipment be tested by local labs accredited through its technical arm, the Telecom Engineering Centre (TEC), could potentially delay 5G rollouts. While the executives want to delay the timeframe from July 1 to January 1, 2023. Since the necessary knowledge and skills have not yet been acquired by domestic labs, so exhaustive testing of the most recent imported radio network hardware cannot yet be performed.

Another industry expert believes that the government should delay the adoption of local testing until January 2023 in order to ensure a seamless rollout of the 4G/5G network. Moreover, India plans to hold an auction for 5G spectrum between the months of June and July, and it anticipates making the first 5G call between the months of August and September. Fonearena