A wireless equipment dealer searching for renewal or a fresh WPC Dealer Possession Licence may now encounter an unexpected problem: the old DPL application route is no longer the current route for new applications.
The Department of Telecommunications stopped accepting applications, including renewals, for Dealer Possession Licence and Non-Dealer Possession Licence under the earlier framework from 3 July 2026. The Government subsequently implemented the Telecommunications (Radio Equipment Possession Authorisation) Rules, 2026, and new applications for Radio Equipment Possession Authorisation became available on the DoT Authorisation Portal from 6 August 2026.
For wireless equipment dealers, distributors, importers, repair businesses and testing companies, the first question is therefore no longer simply “How do I obtain a DPL?” It is:
Which Radio Equipment Possession Authorisation applies to my business under the new rules?
For new applications, businesses should not rely on the old DPL application process.
The official DoT DPL/NDPL page states that acceptance of DPL and NDPL applications, including renewals under the earlier regime, stopped from 3 July 2026. DoT has subsequently enabled applications for the new Radio Equipment Possession Authorisation framework.
The older term “Dealer Possession Licence” remains relevant because businesses, existing licence holders and search users still use it. From a compliance perspective, however, an applicant now needs to evaluate the requirements of the Telecommunications (Radio Equipment Possession Authorisation) Rules, 2026.
These Rules were notified as G.S.R. 592(E) on 8 July 2026 under the Telecommunications Act, 2023 and came into force on publication.
Radio Equipment Possession Authorisation regulates lawful possession of specified radio equipment for defined commercial and technical activities.
Under Rule 4(1)(a), an eligible person may seek authorisation where the business intends to deal with radio equipment through:
A separate category under Rule 4(1)(b) applies where equipment is imported, purchased or hired only for testing or demonstration.
For a dealer or distributor keeping RF equipment in stock for onward sale, Rule 4(1)(a) is therefore normally the first category that should be assessed.
The exact requirement should still be reviewed against the applicant’s equipment, business activity and any exemptions or other authorisations already held.
The current DoT framework permits applications from several categories of entities.
These include:
Companies and LLPs must also satisfy applicable foreign investment and other legal requirements.
This is broader than many older DPL guides, which often describe eligibility only in terms of a company incorporated under the Companies Act.
Use the following assessment before preparing the application.
| Business activity | Initial compliance position |
| Importing radio equipment for resale | Assess Rule 4(1)(a) authorisation |
| Purchasing wireless equipment and reselling it | Assess Rule 4(1)(a) |
| Renting radio equipment to customers | Assess Rule 4(1)(a) |
| Repairing regulated radio equipment | Assess Rule 4(1)(a) |
| Manufacturing radio equipment | Assess Rule 4(1)(a) |
| Importing equipment only for testing | Assess Rule 4(1)(b) |
| Demonstrating equipment only | Assess Rule 4(1)(b) |
| Ordinary end user using a subscribed telecom service | Check Rule 10 exemption |
| Existing legacy licence holder | Review licence continuation / transition position before filing |
Rule 10 provides circumstances where a separate authorisation is not required, including certain existing licence holders, holders of other authorisations or exemptions, persons with assigned spectrum, Amateur Station Operator Certificate holders, specified equipment capable of accommodating no more than four SIMs, and users possessing proof of subscription to a telecommunication service.
However, the Rules expressly clarify that persons relying on the Rule 10 position cannot use it to manufacture, sell or let radio equipment on hire. A dealer should therefore not assume that an end-user exemption automatically covers its commercial trading activity.
The regulatory transition has changed several practical points.
| Issue | Legacy DPL framework | Current position |
| Main terminology | Dealer Possession Licence | Radio Equipment Possession Authorisation |
| New application route | Legacy Saral Sanchar DPL process | DoT Authorisation Portal |
| Current legal framework | Earlier wireless/telegraph licensing regime | Telecommunications Act, 2023 + 2026 Rules |
| Commercial activities | Dealer possession and transaction | Manufacture, purchase/import for sale, hire, repair, testing and demonstration |
| Duration | Legacy DPL page showed 1 year | 1 to 5 years for Rule 4(1)(a) authorisation |
| Application fee | Legacy page displayed ₹60 | ₹1,000 under current Rules |
| Annual authorisation fee | Legacy structure | ₹10,000 per annum for Rule 4(1)(a) |
The DoT’s legacy DPL page still provides historical DPL information, but it simultaneously carries the notice that the old application route has stopped. Businesses should therefore use the new regulatory framework when planning fresh applications.
This distinction is particularly important for importers.
Radio Equipment Possession Authorisation deals with the applicant’s lawful possession and specified commercial activities involving radio equipment.
Equipment Type Approval (ETA) is a separate WPC approval relating to eligible wireless products operating in applicable licence-exempt frequency bands. The DoT currently maintains ETA as a separate service and lists RF test reports, manufacturer authorisation where applicable, and technical literature among its requirements.
A business should therefore examine compliance at three different levels:
Does the importer, dealer, manufacturer, rental company, repairer or testing entity require Radio Equipment Possession Authorisation?
Does the wireless equipment itself require ETA or another WPC approval?
Does operation of the equipment require spectrum assignment or another telecom authorisation?
For testing or demonstration involving radio equipment radiating more than 100 milliwatts, the 2026 Rules specifically require compliance with applicable spectrum assignment conditions.
Having one approval should not be treated as automatic evidence that every other regulatory requirement has been completed.
The DoT’s current service guidance lists corporate, technical, premises, financial and authorised-signatory documentation.
Depending on the applicant and activity, the document set can include:
Rule 4 requires information concerning the make, model and quantity of radio equipment for which authorisation is sought.
The precise portal checklist should always be reviewed at the time of filing because the document set can differ according to applicant type and activity.
A practical way to avoid a fragmented application is to allocate the documents internally before filing.
| Information | Recommended owner |
| Incorporation, MoA/AoA, Board Resolution | Company Secretary / Legal |
| PAN, authorised signatory and premises documents | Administration / Legal |
| Make, model, quantity and equipment specifications | Technical / Procurement |
| Import-related equipment information | Import / Supply Chain |
| Net worth, paid-up capital and equity certificates | Finance / Chartered Accountant |
| FDI information | Finance / Legal |
| Inventory after approval | Compliance / Warehouse |
This is a practical preparation framework, not a government-prescribed responsibility matrix.
Determine whether the business falls under Rule 4(1)(a) for commercial dealing or Rule 4(1)(b) for testing/demonstration-only possession.
Confirm entity structure, trade/business registration where applicable, ownership details and FDI compliance.
Create a model-wise list showing:
This preparation is particularly useful because the granted authorisation itself can specify the make, model, quantity and authorised premises.
The application is filed through the designated Authorisation Portal along with the required information, documents and ₹1,000 non-refundable application fee.
The Central Government may examine the applicant’s eligibility, seek additional information and, for Rule 4(1)(a) applications, undertake security vetting as specified on the portal.
If the applicant is found eligible, a Letter of Intent can be issued specifying conditions that must be completed, including payment of the applicable authorisation fee.
For a dealer-type authorisation under Rule 4(1)(a), the government authorisation fee is calculated at ₹10,000 per year for the duration granted.
After fulfilment of the Letter of Intent requirements, the authorisation may be granted through the portal.
The authorisation can specify:
The Rules reviewed for this article do not establish a universal guaranteed processing time, so businesses should avoid planning imports or customer commitments around an unsupported approval timeline.
For applications under the 2026 Rules:
| Fee component | Government amount |
| New application fee | ₹1,000 |
| Rule 4(1)(a) authorisation | ₹10,000 per year |
| Rule 4(1)(b) testing/demonstration authorisation | ₹2,000 per year |
| Minimum Rule 4(1)(b) fee for shorter period | ₹500 |
| Modification application | ₹1,000 |
These amounts are specified in the current rules and DoT service guidance.
Professional consulting fees are separate from government fees and depend on the scope of documentation, technical review, equipment mapping and application support required.
For authorisation involving manufacture, sale, import for sale, hire, repair, testing or demonstration under Rule 4(1)(a), the authorisation can be granted for at least one year and up to five years.
A testing/demonstration-only authorisation under Rule 4(1)(b) can be granted for up to 12 months.
For Rule 4(1)(a) authorisation, an application for renewal should normally be filed not later than one month before expiry. The Government may permit a delayed application where sufficient cause is established, subject to applicable late fees specified in response to the request.
The new framework places continuing responsibilities on the authorised entity.
The entity is expected to:
For distributors and equipment rental companies, inventory control is therefore an operational compliance requirement, not merely an application-stage exercise.
An authorised entity covered by Rule 4(1)(a) may give possession of radio equipment only to a person who is appropriately authorised or falls within the categories recognised under Rule 10.
A testing/demonstration-only holder under Rule 4(1)(b) cannot give possession of the equipment to another person except as permitted for disposal.
Businesses should therefore build customer-authorisation verification into their dispatch process wherever the equipment category and applicable rules require it.
This requires a more careful answer than simply saying every DPL must immediately be replaced.
Rule 10 recognises persons holding a licence, registration or permission under the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 or Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1933 who continue to operate under the transitional provisions of the Telecommunications Act, 2023. Such persons may fall outside the requirement for a separate new possession authorisation while that legacy permission continues according to law.
Businesses with an existing DPL should therefore review:
Do not assume automatic conversion simply because a legacy DPL exists.
The 2026 Rules contain an important transition provision.
An application for a licence made under the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1933 before commencement of the new Rules lapses if the licence had not been issued before the new Rules commenced.
The applicant may submit a fresh application under the new Rules. Fees already paid against the lapsed application may be considered towards the new application fee, with any shortfall payable by the applicant.
This is particularly important for businesses that filed shortly before the regulatory transition and are still waiting for an approval.
These are practical risk areas derived from the current rules and portal requirements rather than claimed Green Permits rejection statistics.
Fresh applications now need to be evaluated under the current Radio Equipment Possession Authorisation framework.
A distributor selling equipment and a company importing a prototype solely for testing do not fall into the same application category.
ETA and Radio Equipment Possession Authorisation address different regulatory questions.
The authority can specify make, model and quantity in the authorisation. Equipment information therefore needs to be internally consistent.
The address where radio equipment will be kept forms part of the authorisation particulars.
Applicable corporate and foreign-investment certifications should be prepared before submission rather than after a clarification is raised.
The 2026 Rules impose continuing inventory and record-maintenance obligations.
Before filing, confirm:
A WPC Dealer Possession Licence Consultant should now do more than prepare an old DPL form.
The first task is determining which current authorisation applies.
Green Permits can support businesses with:
The objective is to make sure the business applies under the current regulatory framework rather than relying on an outdated licence process.
The legacy DPL application route under the previous framework has been stopped for new applications and renewals from 3 July 2026. Businesses seeking fresh permission should assess Radio Equipment Possession Authorisation under the 2026 Rules.
The current framework is called Radio Equipment Possession Authorisation. Rule 4(1)(a) covers activities including manufacture, purchase or import for sale, hire, repair, testing and demonstration.
The government application fee is ₹1,000 and non-refundable.
For authorisation under Rule 4(1)(a), the current authorisation fee is ₹10,000 per year.
A Rule 4(1)(a) authorisation can run from one to five years. Testing/demonstration-only authorisation under Rule 4(1)(b) may be granted for up to 12 months.
For Rule 4(1)(a) authorisation, the Rules provide for filing the renewal application not later than one month before expiry.
Not necessarily. ETA is a separate product approval for applicable RF equipment, while Radio Equipment Possession Authorisation addresses possession and business activities involving radio equipment. Both requirements should be assessed independently.
No universal guaranteed processing period was identified in the current Rules reviewed for this article. Processing can involve eligibility scrutiny, information requests and security vetting where applicable. Businesses should therefore avoid relying on unofficial guaranteed timelines.
Businesses searching for a WPC Dealer Possession Licence Consultant need to account for the significant regulatory change introduced in 2026.
The traditional DPL route is no longer the correct starting point for a new application. Wireless equipment manufacturers, importers, dealers, distributors, rental businesses, repairers and testing companies should instead determine whether Radio Equipment Possession Authorisation applies under the Telecommunications (Radio Equipment Possession Authorisation) Rules, 2026.
The most important step is to classify the business activity correctly before filing. Product approvals such as WPC ETA, possession authorisation and spectrum permissions should also be assessed separately so that one approval is not mistakenly treated as covering the entire compliance requirement.
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