Wireless Planning and Coordination wing (WPC) is the regulatory authority that governs the manufacture and import of wireless equipment in India. its job is not only to check the safety standards of the wireless devices, but also to ensure that the frequency that they work is not intrusive. Therefore, every manufacturer and importer of wireless products must obtain WPC certificate on a mandatory basis. In this article, we are going to give you a simple explanation of how to obtain this certificate and start your operations without any further delay.
Find out whether you need the WPC Certificate
There are a few points that you must know before you apply for WPC ETA certificate in India. The first being it’s not the product that gets the certification, it’s the frequency at which it works. All wireless products work within de-licensed bands.
If your product works within a frequency within said band that hasn’t received certification from the government, only then you need to obtain the titular certification.
To test that, you need to go to a lab that has the accreditation from NABL and then get its scientists to run Radio frequency tests on your product. If they find that your product is working at a frequency that already has the approval of WPC, you don’t need to go any further.
Otherwise, you’ll need to take the next step.
Furnish the documents required for WPC Certificate
There are not many documents you need for the WPC Certificate. However, whatever the ones you need are the most important. They are as follows:
- Radio frequency test report of the wireless equipment
- Manufacture license related to the product, if applicable in the country from where you’re importing it. If not, you have to provide an undertaking stating that no manufacture license is required for the production of that wireless product.
- Letter authorizing the AIR: If you need ETA license because you’re an importer. Then you need an AIR – Authorized Indian Representative – to take care of the tasks concerned with ETA certification. The letter of authorization authorizes an AIR to act as the license’s applicant on your behalf.
- Technical literature of the product stating the use of the product, the materials it’s made from and the frequency it works at.
- Certificate of incorporation of your importing or manufacturing company
- Your company’s PAN Card.
Submit the online application
After putting together all the necessary document, you must file the application for ETA license via the online mode. The portal that hosts the application module is the official WPC website, dedicated to all kinds of telecom import licenses. Once you’ve applied for the certificate, you’ll receive a prompt to take the printout of the application form you’ve filled.
Submit the physical copies of the document
Take the physical copy of the application form and attach it with the furnished documents. Bundle them together with the box containing a sample of wireless product. Then, mail it to the regional office of Wireless Planning and Coordination Wing.
Once the package reaches there, the WPC officials will start to scrutinize its contents. They will first assess your application form and its attachments. If they don’t find any issues with them, they would proceed to forward the sample of the wireless product to their in house lab. There, the product will be tested for radio frequency. Once WPC establishes that your product works within a non-intrusive frequency within the de-licensed band, it will issue you an ETA certificate.
Conclusion
The steps to obtain WPC certificate for import or manufacturing of wireless products is quite simple. However, because the process involves both offline and online steps, you need to do a fair bit of leg work on your own.
Or, you can consult with a telecom expert and make him an AIR. After becoming an Authorized Indian Representative, it will act on your behalf until you get the ETA license in your hand.
