WIRELESS PLANNING AND COORDINATION (WPC)

INTRODUCTION

Understanding WPC Requirements And Obtaining The Same Easily

WPC stands for Wireless Planning and Coordination, which is part of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, is the national broadcasting body founded in 1952. Any foreign manufacturing, who is seeking to sell or manufacture its wireless electronic products in India, needs to get the WPC approval. Besides the wireless electronic products, several other related items are also covered under this policy and require mandatory WPC approval.

This approval is also required by companies who wish to import radio equipments in India. If the company does not have the WPC permission before importing the same, their products will get confiscated by the Customs authority.

Products That Require The WPC Approval

Companies that need their products to operate within a certain frequency require the WPC approval. Wireless products operate on some wireless network, which is usually a delicensed frequency band. These delicensed frequency bands require a special approval known as ETA or Equipment Type Approval. Any product that requires ETA will require WPC Approval.

Obtaining The Approval

The company looking for this approval needs to apply for the same to the Wireless Advisor of Government of India. There is a long list of documents that need to be submitted along with this application. The RF report or the Radio test report from a lab that has been accredited by the Government of India should be obtained. The same needs to be submitted along with the application as well.

EVTL India offers its services to all Indian as well as foreign companies that wish to operate in IT and Electronic products in India. New companies can not enter the Indian market and start manufacturing and selling their products here without first obtaining the WPC approval and Import license. This is where we step in by helping them in completing all the formalities successfully, without any hitches. Thus, the client companies can focus on their manufacturing and other product development and sales aspects, while we take care of all the issues that may arise during the process of filing for the WPC approval and obtaining the same. We even help the clients in case they need to renew their approval due to introduction of new products, or if the validity of the approval lapses.

LICENCE PROVIDED BY WPC - AUTHORITY

TYPES OF WPC APPROVAL

Wireless Planning and Coordination is of 3 types which are as follows:

1. Non - Network Licence
   • Import Licence
   • Dealer Possession Licence
   • Non-dealer Possession Licence
2. Network Licence
   • Internet Service Provider Licence (ISP)
   • Experimental Licence
3. Equipment type Approval (ETA)

1. Non - Network Licence -

   This licence is issued to the non-network service providers like cable TV distributor and wireless products. This licence is required for the sale, purchase, and import of specific wireless equipment. If you're an incorporated business entity with the appropriate people for the sort of equipment or operation you operate, the WPC will only award you a non-network licence. It is of 3 types

   • Import Licence - Import Licence is issued to export wireless products to India. The holder of this licence gets permission to sell his wireless products in the Indian Territory.
   • Dealer possession Licence - WPC issues Dealer Possession Licence to an individual/organization who are the dealers and distributors of wireless products.
   • Non-Dealer possession Licence - WPC issues non-Dealer Possession Licence to an individual/organization which does not deal with wireless devices and also not hold any licence from WPC.
2. Network Licence -

   A network licence is given to a company that wants to use the country's restricted radio frequency capacity to provide communication services including mobile networks, cable, and DTH.

   • Internet Service Provider Licence (ISP) - Any organization want to provide internet services must obtain ISP Licence from Telecommunication Department (DoT).
   • Experimental Licence - Any organization or person who wants to conduct experiments or research on wireless gadgets must obtain experimental licence from WPC Department.
3. Equipment type Approval & ETA Certificate –

   While importing the product from overseas, a question should always be in our mind. What are the compliances required for my product? Especially when it is Bluetooth device or RF ID-based equipment, make sure that the same must have ETA Certificate. Now let’s discuss what is ETA Certificate in detail:

   Equipment Type Approval (ETA) is an approval that has to be obtained from WPC before importing any wireless device in India which functions in the de-licensed frequency band. ETA shall also be required for each product manufactured in India. Such equipment includes products like Bluetooth devices, mobile phones, Wi-Fi technology, RFID and others.

   In the cases when the product is manufactured in India and RF module(s) having ETA is/are fitted in it without any modification/alteration, then no separate ETA is required for such finished product. However, if products are manufactured outside India, then ETA is required for each product before its import. In the case where RF modules are separate, ETA shall apply to the RF module.

   ETA can be obtained through self-declaration for wireless products which comply with the following conditions:

• Product exempted from import licensing requirement as per EXIM Policy of DGFT
• Working in the de-licensed frequency band

For example:- Mobile handsets, Smartphone, Electronic notepads, Laptops, Smartwatches, SRDs including accessories, microphones, headphones, speakers, earphones, printers, scanners, mouse, keyboard, TV, camera, etc.

For the product which does not fall under the above Category, ETA can be obtained by applying online through the routine procedure to concerned RLOs E.g. Drones and a special camera.

WPC Import License: Import license is required from WPC to import any equipment other than broadcasting Receiver and TVRO system. Once an ETA approval has been granted to equipment, it still has to obtain an Import license if it is required or intended to be import in India.

To obtain an ETA for de-licensed frequency band devices, a detailed test report of the equipment obtained from a well-recognized laboratory has to be submitted to WPC for evaluation. We help our clients with testing of their equipment and obtaining the test report in proper format for submission to WPC.

What is the license free bands for wireless products that are mandatory for ETA by WPC?

• Indoor use of low-power wireless equipment in the frequency band 2.4 to 2.4835 GHz.
• Use of low-power wireless equipment in the frequency band 2.4GHz to 2.4835GHz.
• Indoor use of low-power wireless equipment in the frequency band 5GHz.
• Outdoor use of low-power wireless equipment in the frequency band 5.825-5.875GHz.
• Use of low-power wireless equipment in the frequency band 865-867GHz.
• Use of low-power wireless equipment in the frequency band 433-434 MHz.
• Use of low power wireless equipment in the frequency band 335MHz for cranes remote control
• Use of low-power wireless equipment in the Citizen band 26.957-27.383MHz.

BASIC REQUIREMENT FOR WPC ETA APPROVAL AND IMPORT LICENCE:

The basic requirements for WPC ETA approval are as follows:-

• For foreign manufacturers: All foreign manufacturers having no liaison office or branch office located in India have to appoint Authorized Indian Representative (AIR).
• If the manufacturer has the liaison office/branch office in India, then they will become the AIR.
• For import license, a foreign manufacturer needs to appoint AIR, which should be the same as in the ETA application.
• For domestic manufacturers: The domestic manufacturer can directly apply for ETA and import license without nominating AIR.

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR WPC LICENCE

The following documents are required for ETA approval:

1. IEC in case of import
2. ID and address proof of authorized person
3. Copy of company GST registration
4. Copy of company registration
5. Radiofrequency test report from IS0 17025 accredited foreign lab or any NABL accredited Indian Lab
6. Letter of Authorization
7. Test report (CE/RoHS/ASTM/EN)
8. Receipt of online fee
9. A Purchase order in case of import
10. Product technical details

WHAT IS RF (RADIO FREQUENCY) TEST REPORT, AND HOW TO GET RF TEST REPORT?

It's great to see that the Indian regulatory compliance authorities and WPC are paying close attention to every detail when rewarding and granting any kind of licence, because as we all know, in order to analyse any materials or product, we have to go to the laboratories and obtain detailed reports and characteristics. In the case of WPC ETA licence, the RF report is important.

RF testing is a way of determining the frequency of radio transmissions in order to ensure that the spectrum is being used efficiently. In this case, efficiency refers to the absence of interference between radio waves in the airspace.

Radio frequency testing encompass a wide range of broadcasts, including Wi-Fi, GPS, PMR radio, cellular devices, and many others. In most cases, following frequency standards is mandated by law.

For Equipment Type Approval (ETA), WPC Registration requires an RF (Radio Frequency) test report from an ILAC certified foreign lab or a NABL approved Indian lab for items operating in the licence frequency bands.

For ETA approval to import or sell their goods in India, manufacturers and importers must have their product tested in a NABL/ILAC accredited lab. If the imported product has multiple RF modules, the test report(s) of all RF modules must be uploaded for WPC ETA certification without any changes.

To obtain a WPC ETA Approval for de-licensed frequency band devices, a detailed test report of the equipment received from a well-recognized laboratory must be submitted to WPC for evaluation.

We help our clients with equipment testing and gathering test data in the proper format for WPC submission.

PROCESS TO OBTAIN EQUIPMENT TYPE APPROVAL (ETA) FROM WPC

1. Checking EN Standard and RF-Test Report - WPC ETA certification begins with a review of the EN Standard and frequency range in the product's RF-Test report. A self-declaration certificate is issued if the frequency range falls under the mandatory devices that work under the DE Licence.
   
2. Preparing Documents - All of the preceding documents are obtained after checking the frequency range from the RF- Report.
   
3. Online portal generation - For login credentials, the applicant must first register on the Saral Sanchar portal.
   
4. Online Payment of Government Fee - Government fee will be paid online.
5. Online/Offline submission of Documents - For a certain type of licence, the applicant must submit all relevant documents to the WPC authority both online and offline.
   
6. Verification of Documents - The documentation and the RF test report will be verified by WPC personnel. If the documents submitted are not in order, WPC authorities may ask for the missing document or other information as needed for clarification.
7. Grant of ETA Certificate - Equipment type approval Certificate (WPC certificate) will be awarded if WPC officials are satisfied with the product's paperwork and test report.

   PRODUCT SCOPE

Mandatory requirements for all wireless products (transceivers, transmitters and receivers) entering the Indian market.

Note: only receivers do not need approval, for example GPS products.

Product examples: Wireless Bluetooth-Watches, Wireless Water Heaters, Wireless Home Appliances, Wireless Car Radio, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags and readers, Wireless Medical products used for patient profiling, Laptops, Mobile Phones, Wireless Mouse and Keyboard, Remote Key for entry, Wireless Headphones and/or Earplugs, Wireless Music Players, and any other Radio Frequency Modules.