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Government of India
Ministry of Finance
Department of Revenue
Central Board of Excise & Customs
(Tariff Unit)
INSTRUCTION No.
08/2017-Customs
Room No. 229-A, North Block New Delhi,
7th June, 2017
To
All Pr. Chief Commissioners/Chief Commissioners of Customs/Customs
(Preventive)
All Pr. Chief Commissioners /Chief Commissioners of Customs and
Central Excise
All Pr. Commissioners/Commissioners of Customs/Customs
(Preventive)
All Pr. Commissioners/Commissioners of Customs and Central
Excise
Madam / Sir,
Subject: Classification of eNodeB- reg.
Board has received references regarding the classification of eNodeB which is
an LTE equipment used in wireless or cellular networks. A doubt has been
expressed whether the said goods are classifiable under CTH 8517 6100 or CTH
8517 6290.
2. The Board examined the issue. In this regard it is clarified that eNodeB
is an LTE/4G equipment which has built in functionality of Base Transceiver
Station (BTS) and Base Station Controller (BSC) of 2G wireless network or NodeB
and Radio Network Controller (RNC) of 3G wireless network. Although it may be
commercially referred as ‘Base Station’ of LTE network, it’s functionality is
beyond the earlier Base Stations (Base Transceiver Station of 2G networks or
NodeB of 3G networks). Therefore classification of eNodeB should take into
consideration the fact that it is a machine performing functions of both
BTS/NodeB as well as BSC/RNC. In the communication network architecture BSC/RNC
controls and manages many BTS / Node B and it also provides intelligence to
BTS/NodeB. In fact BSC/RNC works as a small switch within the network sub-system
and it enables distributed architecture of eNodeB (i.e.Base Band Unit and Remote
Radio Heads).
3. In view of functions detailed above and by application of GIR 1 & 6,
eNodeB fall into the description given under heading 8517 62 i.e. “Machines for
the reception, conversion and transmission or regeneration of voice, images or
other data, including switching and routing apparatus” and rightly classifiable
under heading 8517 62 90.
4. All pending assessments, if any, may be finalized accordingly.
5. Difficulty faced, if any, may be brought to the notice of the Board. Yours
faithfully,
Yours faithfully
(Piyush Bhardwaj)
STO, TU
[F. No.
528/03/2016-STO (TU)]
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