446.0–446.2 MHz frequency walkie-talkies exempted from license,otherwise illegal

According to a press release of Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) Under these rules, only walkie-talkies operating strictly within the 446.0–446.2 MHz frequency band are exempted from licensing. Even such licence-exempted devices must obtain ETA certification before being imported or sold in India. Failure to comply with these requirements also constitutes misleading advertisement, unfair trade practice and deficiency in service under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, and violates the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020.

CCPA has taken suo motu cognisance of the large-scale illegal listing and sale of walkie-talkies (Personal Mobile Radios PMRs) on e-commerce platforms and has imposed monetary penalties on leading online marketplaces for violations of consumer protection and telecom regulations.

The action follows the identification of over 16,970 non-compliant walkie-talkie listings across platforms. Notices were issued to 13 e-commerce entities, including Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho, JioMart, Meta (Facebook Marketplace), Talk Pro, Chimiya, MaskMan Toys, India Mart, TradeIndia, Antriksh Technologies, Vardaanmart and Krishna Mart.

The Authority found that several platforms were facilitating the sale of walkie-talkies operating on restricted and sensitive radio frequency bands, without mandatory statutory approvals or disclosures. These devices were sold without informing consumers about:

The radio frequency range on which the device operates
Whether the device requires a government licence

Whether it has obtained Equipment Type Approval (ETA). It is a mandatory technical approval issued by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to ensure that wireless devices are compliant, safe and permitted for use in India (WPC)

Many of these devices were found to operate in the Ultra High Frequency (UHF) band, which is a regulated spectrum also used by police, emergency services, disaster response agencies and other critical communication networks. Several products were wrongly advertised as “license-free” or “100% legal,” even though their use requires government approval. In some cases, walkie-talkies were sold as toys but had very long communication ranges of up to 30 kilometers. In addition, many product listings did not clearly mention important details such as the operating frequency or whether the device had Equipment Type Approval (ETA), making it difficult for consumers to know if the product was legal to buy and use.(updated on 16th january 2026)