India, Singapore to sign pact on telecom product testing

Mumbai: India and Singapore have entered into a mutual recognition agreement (MRA) for product testing of telecom equipments made in either country, thereby providing an easy entry in each others' market from April.

Officials of the department of telecom are currently in Singapore to discuss with their counterparts the details of the MRA so as to operationalise the pact from April 1, sources said.

An agreement on this score will eliminate the need for product testing and certification in both countries — instead, both will accept certification by an agency of the other country. This will provide easier access to companies to sell telecom and electronic products such as mobile handsets.

Telecom Engineering Centre (TEC) of India and Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) of Singapore will be the technical certifying bodies, sources said.

This means once products made in India are certified by TEC for selling in Singapore, IDA will not have to certify that the items adhere to local standards and regulations.

The MRA is part of the comprehensive economic cooperation agreement (CECA) that the two countries signed in June 2005.

Both the countries will benefit with this arrangement since it leads to cost reduction as well as faster and easier access for companies wanting to tap the market.

Singapore is one of India's key suppliers of electronic goods and its major trading partners in Southeast Asia.