According to Reuters, an industry group, India is planning to speed up safety approvals for electronic devices ranging from wireless earbuds to smartphones in order to reduce the time it takes for them to reach the market. Currently, testing and certifying the products take anywhere from 16 to 21 weeks. Once approved, the time can be cut by up to five to eight weeks.
According to industry executives, the lengthy testing process in India for a new Apple AirPods model, for example, takes 16 weeks because the charging case and its components must first obtain clearance before the earbuds are evaluated. In the case of smartphones and their components, the procedure could take up to 21 weeks on average.
The move follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s push to increase the output of the electronics hardware manufacturing industry to $300 billion by 2026. The decision was made following a meeting this week between MAIT, a key electronic hardware industry body, and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the country’s nodal agency responsible for setting quality and safety standards.
MAIT members include Apple, Samsung, and Xiaomi, as well as global and domestic firms active in India’s electronics, telecommunications, and information technology sectors. According to Reuters, the BIS is working on a pilot project to replace the current sequential testing model with parallel testing for electronic devices in the South Asian market.
‘For industry, it is directly related to ease of doing business; for consumers, it will result in faster access to the latest products, ‘MAIT said in a statement. According to MAIT, earbuds will be the first devices to go through faster testing, with the government deciding on other products later.
Post Your Comments