*astTECS-IP-PBX-TEC-Certified

First Open Source Telecom company to get TEC certification

On 28-Nov-2019, *astTECS E-Series IP PBX got TEC certification from Telecommunication Engineering Center which functions under the Department of Telecommunications, Government of India. Equally significant is that *astTECS is the first open-source telecommunications company to get the TEC Certification.

Lt. Col. Shaju, General Manager, *astTECS says “We are proud to announce another feather in the cap of *astTECS, the award of ‘TEC Certification’ for our PABX products. A milestone in our relentless pursuit of revolutionizing global PBX market with feature-rich, price competitive and most reliable unified communication solutions complying with all regulatory norms.”

First, let’s understand what is TEC?

The Telecommunication Engineering Center (TEC) functions directly under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Government of India.

TEC acts as the national authority responsible for drafting and maintaining the generic requirements, interface standards, and service specifications for all telecom products and networks operating within the country.

Why is TEC Certification Mandatory for Telecom Equipment?

In 2017, the Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Rules introduced a pivotal shift in how telecom hardware is regulated in India. The government rolled out the Mandatory Testing and Certification of Telecommunications Equipment (MTCTE) framework.

As per this mandate, any telecom product covered under the SCS (Simplified Certification Scheme) and GSC (General Certification Scheme) must undergo prior mandatory testing before it can be sold, deployed, or connected to the Indian telecom grid.

The core objectives of this mandate are:

Network Integrity: To ensure that third-party hardware does not degrade the performance of existing public telecom networks.

Cybersecurity: To protect national communication infrastructure from vulnerabilities and unauthorized data interception.

Interoperability: To guarantee that equipment from different vendors can communicate seamlessly without technical conflicts.

*astTECS E-series IP PBX conforms to all essential requirements issued by TEC under Mandatory Testing and Certification of Telecommunications Equipment (MTCTE) as notified vide Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Rules, 2017.

The Business Benefits of Choosing a TEC-Certified IP PBX

For a business, deploying a TEC-certified system is not just about avoiding regulatory fines; it provides tangible operational and security benefits.

Guaranteed Reliability: You are investing in hardware that has passed rigorous stress tests for latency, packet loss, and physical durability.

Simplified Procurement: For government tenders (PSUs) and highly regulated industries like banking and healthcare (NABH compliance), TEC certification is often a mandatory prerequisite. A certified system automatically qualifies you for these strict IT audits.

Turnkey Deployment: According to Dr. Devasia Kurian, Managing Director of *astTECS, “With the TEC stamp of approval, customers can confidently install a comprehensive IP PBX solution instead of having to piece together the hardware and software separately.”

As a pioneer in open source telecommunication, we will want this certification to give confidence to the customers to upgrade their existing system to the TEC certified system to have a modern business communication ecosystem.

*astTECS: The First Open-Source TEC-Certified IP PBX

In November 2019, *astTECS achieved a massive industry milestone by becoming the first open-source telecommunications company to receive TEC certification for its E-Series IP PBX.

This achievement fundamentally changed the telecom landscape. Historically, businesses had to choose between highly secure, expensive proprietary systems or flexible, uncertified open-source platforms. The *astTECS E-series bridges that gap, offering:

Enterprise-Grade Compliance: Conforms to all essential requirements issued by the MTCTE.

Open-Source Flexibility: Native integration with major CRMs, WhatsApp, SMS, and email without the limitations of vendor lock-in.

Cost Efficiency: Delivers the robust security of a certified system without the exorbitant per-user licensing fees typically charged by legacy telecom vendors.

Read More about TEC Certification

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Yes. Under the MTCTE guidelines initiated by the Department of Telecommunications, any PBX or IP PBX equipment being used or capable of being used on the Indian telecom network must undergo mandatory testing and certification.

Using uncertified equipment risks severe network vulnerabilities, poor interoperability with local SIP trunks, and potential regulatory action from the DoT, which can include the disconnection of telecom services.

Yes, but it requires rigorous hardware and software standardization. *astTECS was the first company in India to successfully put an open-source-based IP PBX (the E-Series) through the rigorous testing required to achieve official TEC certification.