Rules notified: Only 5 mobile devices can be imported for personal use in a year

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has notified “Type Approval Technical Standards Regulations 2021,” allowing import of only five mobile devices in a calendar year by a person for personal use.

The foreign missions including high commissions and embassies will file their Certificate of Compliance (COC) requests for import of telecommunication equipment through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; however, they will have to apply for type approval for terminal equipment after providing required documents/sample/fee to the PTA.

Furthermore, the IMEI for device(s) will contain only GSMA issued Type Allocation Code (TAC) excluding placed in blacklist by the authority.

Mobile devices that contain duplicated/cloned/stolen/counterfeit will not be allowed for issuance of the COC by the PTA.

Jan-July 2021: Number of locally-produced mobile phones surpasses number of imported ones: PTA

The PTA has the right to cancel/suspend the COC issued in case the product being imported/sold is found to be having manufacturing faults, hazardous to health/safety and not conforming to standards stated at the time of grant of the COC.

According to the Type Approval Technical Standards Regulations, all type approval holders and persons importing PTA type approved terminal equipment/mobile devices for sale and market in Pakistan shall ensure that they will establish customer service/after sales mechanism for facilitation of their customers and also obtain the COC for parts imported for after sales provision through the PTA.

For devices operating in the VHF frequency bands, type approval holder will ensure that the equipment is sold to the PTA license holders and devices are programmed within the allocated frequency band only as per license conditions.

Furthermore, a monthly report for such device sale along with end user and the PTA license details will be provided to the PTA.

For devices operating in the HF and the UHF frequencies band, type approval will be granted subject to provision of the PTA issued license and device will be programmed within the allocated frequencies band and output power as per license conditions.

For equipment for maritime functionality, authorisation from a Pakistan Maritime Security Agencies (MSA) along with issued license from the PTA is required.

In case of applicant being foreign entity, the applicant shall provide following documents as part of type approval process issued from their country or origin, (i) company registration, (ii) authorisation from board of directors to apply for the PTA type approval, and (iii) shareholder details of board of directors of manufacture of devises.

All terminal equipment having wireless functionality shall operate on non-interference basis within the allowed frequency spectrum allowed by the PTA/FAB. Duplicate type approval certificate may be issued by the Authority subject to following; (a) provision of request on type approval holder company letterhead, (b) provision of an undertaking stating the reasons of requirement of duplicate certificates, (c) deposit of the prescribed processing fee, (d) copy of intimation to the PTA of lost/misplaced original certificate, and; (e) copy of already issued type approval certificate.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021