Telecommunications equipment is communications or networking equipment which interfaces with Public Switched Telecom Network (PSTN) for provision of various telephony services. Most of the countries approve only Telecommunications Terminal Equipment (TTE) in most countries whereas some countries approve infrastructure / network equipment as well.
Common telecommunication terminal equipments include analogue PSTN terminals, IP Phones, VoIP Gateways, Private Automated Branch Exchange (PABX), DSL Modems, ISDN Terminals, Video Conferencing Terminals etc. Telecommunication infrastructure / network interfaces include analogue T1/E1, DWDM, PSTN switching systems etc.
Conformity assessment of telecom equipment generally focuses on prevention of harm to the network, but again this varies from country to country. Assessment may also include electrical safety and EMC characteristics to prevent harm to users and interference with other devices. Some countries even examine some higher layer aspects of equipment function.