The Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC), under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), has released a Draft Standard for Drive Tool Tester for Cellular Networks — Standard No. TEC 23040:2025. This draft aims to establish uniform testing and performance requirements for drive test tools used in evaluating cellular network quality across India.
Drive tool testers play a vital role in assessing network coverage, signal strength, call quality, data speed, and overall user experience. With the expansion of 4G and 5G technologies, TEC’s new draft standard seeks to ensure that all drive testing tools comply with advanced technical and functional benchmarks.
Purpose of the Draft Standard
The newly proposed standard is designed to:
- Define the functional, quality, safety, and security requirements for drive test tools.
- Support all major radio access technologies — 2G (GSM), 3G (WCDMA), 4G (LTE/LTE-A), and 5G (NR).
- Enhance data consistency, reliability, and comparability of network performance results.
- Promote standardization and interoperability among testing solutions used by telecom operators, equipment manufacturers, and regulators.
Key Features Highlighted in the Draft
The draft standard specifies several important technical and operational requirements, including:
- Capability to perform coverage and performance testing for multi-technology networks (2G–5G).
- Support for data and voice testing, including VoLTE and VoNR.
- Integrated GPS-based location tracking during drive testing.
- Scanning of all frequency bands and capturing key network parameters.
- Post-processing and reporting tools to analyze test data efficiently.
- Compliance with EMI/EMC, safety, and security standards defined by TEC.
These measures will ensure that drive tool testers deliver accurate, secure, and consistent results — critical for improving network quality and user satisfaction.
Impact on the Telecom Industry
The introduction of this draft standard is a significant move towards ensuring network reliability and transparency in India’s telecom sector.
By standardizing the performance of drive testing tools, TEC aims to:
- Strengthen quality of service (QoS) monitoring for telecom operators.
- Help identify coverage gaps, call drops, and network issues more effectively.
- Facilitate better compliance and reporting to regulatory authorities.
- Support India’s goal of expanding robust 5G infrastructure across the nation.
Public Consultation and Next Steps
The draft is currently open for stakeholder comments for a 60-day consultation period. Industry experts, telecom operators, vendors, and other stakeholders are invited to review and provide feedback before TEC finalizes the standard.
Once approved, this standard will guide both telecom service providers and equipment manufacturers in ensuring their network testing tools meet TEC’s updated requirements.
Conclusion
The TEC Draft Standard for Drive Tool Tester for Cellular Networks represents a major step towards improving network testing quality, transparency, and reliability in India’s fast-growing telecom ecosystem.
By setting clear and consistent guidelines, TEC is paving the way for more accurate performance assessments and enhanced mobile connectivity experiences nationwide.
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Frequently Asked Questions
This draft standard, TEC 23040:2025, aims to establish uniform technical and performance requirements for drive tool testers to ensure consistent quality assessment of cellular networks across India.
The standard supports all major radio access technologies, including 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G, ensuring comprehensive coverage for voice and data testing, including VoLTE and VoNR.
Standardization ensures that test results regarding coverage, signal strength, and data speed are accurate, reliable, and comparable across different telecom operators and equipment manufacturers.
The draft mandates integrated GPS location tracking, multi-band frequency scanning, robust post-processing capabilities, and strict compliance with safety, security, and EMI/EMC standards.
The draft is currently under a 60-day public consultation period, allowing industry stakeholders, vendors, and operators to review the guidelines and provide feedback before finalization.
The Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC), operating under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), is the authority responsible for formulating this standard to regulate network testing equipment in India.
This standard primarily affects telecom equipment manufacturers, service providers, and testing agencies, who must ensure their drive test tools meet the specified functional and safety benchmarks.
It specifically supports India’s 5G expansion by ensuring testing tools can accurately measure 5G-specific parameters like VoNR, high-speed data throughput, and complex frequency band interactions.
The standard mandates strict adherence to EMI/EMC regulations and safety protocols, ensuring that the testing equipment does not interfere with other sensitive networks or pose operational risks.
By ensuring rigorous testing of network quality, the standard helps identify coverage gaps and reduce call drops, directly enhancing the overall voice and data experience for end-users.
Once the 60-day feedback window closes, TEC will review all stakeholder inputs, make necessary amendments, and then notify the final standard for mandatory implementation by the industry.
