India Suspends Key WPC Licenses Under Regulatory Update
16. July 2026India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has suspended the processing of several Wireless Planning and Coordination (WPC) licenses with immediate effect. The WPC license suspension affects Dealer Possession Licenses (DPL), Non-Dealer Possession Licenses (NDPL), and Manufacturing and Testing Licenses, impacting companies that manufacture, test, stock, distribute, or otherwise handle regulated wireless equipment in India.
The measure was announced in Official Memorandum No. R 11018/13/2026-PP dated 2 July 2026. Under the announcement, the processing of both existing and new applications for these license categories has been halted until further notice. The affected applications will later be processed under a new regulatory framework and revised regulatory requirements. Wireless and radio frequency (RF) equipment usually requires WPC licensing or Equipment Type Approval (ETA), depending on the applicable regulatory category, in order to be approved for import and sale in India.
Pending Applications to Transition to a New Regulatory Framework
According to the DoT, all pending and future applications for DPL, NDPL, and Manufacturing and Testing Licenses will remain suspended until the new framework enters into force. Companies planning to manufacture, possess, distribute, or test wireless equipment in India should therefore expect delays in licensing procedures and adjust their compliance schedules accordingly.
The DoT also clarified that application fees already paid will not be lost. Instead, submitted fees will be adjusted in accordance with the forthcoming regulatory framework once the revised licensing system is implemented. Businesses with ongoing projects should retain all application records and supporting technical documentation to facilitate the transition when the updated procedures become available.
The suspension forms part of India’s broader modernization of telecommunications regulation and is expected to support the implementation of revised licensing provisions under the country’s evolving regulatory framework.
ETA Self-Declaration Process Continues Without Changes
While the affected license categories have been suspended, the DoT confirmed that Equipment Type Approval through Self-Declaration (ETA-SD) for products operating in license-exempt frequency bands will continue under the existing process. Manufacturers and importers of products using technologies such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and other short-range radio systems operating in delicensed bands can therefore continue submitting ETA-SD applications without interruption.
Companies should carefully determine whether their products require one of the suspended WPC licenses or remain eligible for the ETA-SD route. Businesses relying on DPL, NDPL, or Manufacturing and Testing Licenses should monitor forthcoming DoT announcements closely, as the new regulatory framework will define future application procedures and compliance requirements. Further regulatory updates and certification guidance are expected as the revised licensing framework is introduced.
WPC certification is necessary for wireless products in order to be used and sold in India.
The national broadcasting authority WPC (Wireless Planning & Coordination) is responsible for this certification, in order to regulate the issuing of issuing of amateur radio licenses and the allocation and monitoring of the frequency spectrum.
If you are interested in understanding what requirements are needed for your product to be imported into India, please do not hesitate to contact us by email or phone (Europe: +49-69-271 37 69 261, US: +1 773 654-2673). There is no cost or obligation for us to check for you. If a certification need is discovered we can provide a quotation to make sure that all your certification needs are covered.
For more information about WPC certification, please refer to our free brochure “WPC Certification Made Easy“.
