Major telecom operators in India including Airtel, Reliance Jio, and Vi have warned that consumers may see a slowdown in the availability of 5G smartphones in India. This, according to a report in The Economic Times, is due to the government’s call for mandatory local testing and certification of 5G devices in India from January 1, 2023. This means that all new 5G phones that will be launched in India will have to go through a local testing and certification process before being sold in the country.
WHAT IS THE WARNING ABOUT 5G SMARTPHONE IN INDIA SHORTAGE
The warning from the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) that represents top telecom providers and tech companies says that the local testing and certification of 5G phones will reduce the data consumption, restrict market access, and deprive consumers from buying the latest 5G phones. The ET report also says that the telecom providers have also said that the move to test and certify all new 5G smartphones would also hinder India’s ambitions of becoming a global handset manufacturing hub.
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WHAT IS THE GOVERNMENT RULE THAT MAY CREATE THE 5G SMARTPHONE SHORTAGE
The news channel also cited documents that showed that the Telecom Engineering Centre (TEC), a technical wing of the DoT decided in a recent meeting to bring 5G phones under phase 5 of the Mandatory Testing and Certification of Telecom Equipment (MTCTE) regime. The MTCTE pertains to mandatory testing and certification of electronic devices that will be sold in India. For 5G phones, the phase 5 of MTCTE will kick in from January 2023.
WHAT ELSE WILL BE TESTED AND CERTIFIED LOCALLY
This comes soon after the TEC decided that smartwatches, wearables, and cameras should also be tested and certified locally before being sold in India. Telecom operators, along with smartphone manufacturers have urged the DoT to stop the implementation of the planned local testing and certification.
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WHAT TELECOM PROVIDERS, MANUFACTURERS HAVE TO SAY
“We urge your intervention to instruct the TEC to rescind the existing notifications covering all existing consumer electronic products under the MTCTE certification regime and to desist in pursuing smartwatchs, wearables, and smart cameras under Phase 3 and 5G phones under Phase 5 of the MTCTE,” the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) were quoted as saying.
