India will try out a strategy of parallel testing to speed up safety approvals for new electronic devices, an industry group MAIT said.

The plan to test components of the devices simultaneously will cut 5-8 weeks from the 16-21 now often needed to test and certify products ranging from wireless earbuds to smartphones, Reuters news report said.

“For industry, it is linked with ease of doing business; for consumers, this will result in faster access to the latest products,” MAIT, said in its statement.

Apple, Samsung and Xiaomi are among its members, along with global and domestic firms operating in India’s electronics, telecom and IT sector.

To trim the time required, the group added, the testing agency, the Bureau of Indian Standards, has agreed to a pilot project where some identified electronics hardware products shall be undergoing parallel testing.

Executives say India’s testing process can take 16 weeks for a new Apple AirPods model, for example, as the charging case and its components must first secure clearance before the earbuds are assessed.

For a smartphone and its parts, the procedure could take an average of up to 21 weeks.

The pilot decision followed a closed-door meeting between officials of India’s information technology ministry, BIS, MAIT and executives of firms such as Apple and Samsung.

Earbuds will be the first devices likely to be put through the faster testing, with the government deciding on other products later, MAIT said.

Swifter safety and quality clearances by the authorities will boost India’s competitiveness in electronics, said Prabhu Ram, head of the Industry Intelligence Group at CyberMedia Research.

The requirement for safety testing by BIS applies to all electronic products in India, whether imported or domestically made.