All shades of telecoms gear will have to shortly undergo mandatory certification by the Telecom Engineering Centre (TEC) before deployment in communication networks across India.

The telecoms department will soon expand the Indian Telegraph Rules to include detailed modalities for such mandatory testing and certification.

"Testing shall be carried out by the Telegraph Authority or any other designated agency on payment of a prescribed fee. A suitable test certificate will be issued (to the OEM) if it complies with all parameters of testing and certification," says an internal telecoms department report.

An internal department panel which is drafting the detailed norms for mandatory testing of telecoms gear is slated to submit its recommendations to the Telecom Commission by June 15. The seven-member panel largely comprises senior officials of the TEC, which is the department''s technical wing.

The proposed `Telegraph Authority' is likely to be the TEC, although the telecoms department interim report is yet to spell this out.

Since such certification of telecoms gear will have a validity period, the OEM will need to renew it periodically to continue selling equipment in India.

The Telegraph Authority will also have the powers to issue show cause notices to telcos using uncertified gear and OEMs selling such equipment. Under the amended Indian Telegraph Rules, it will also have powers to confiscate telecom equipment that hasn't been tested or certified. In the event, an errant OEM fails to complete certification formalities even 180 days after being issued a show cause notice, the designated authority may confiscate such uncertified telecom equipment.