Egypt: Updated list of accredited laboratories and documents required for type approval procedure

Egypt's National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority recently updated its type approval process to facilitate the application process and simplify the selection of application types. Authorities have narrowed down the type approval scheme by defining three categories according to the country and applying three methods instead of the four used in the previous version. If there is a factory in Egypt, this simplification can be more convenient for manufacturers interested in this, as they can follow the light or intermediate approach depending on the manufacturer's qualifications.

The list of accredited laboratories has also been updated. Compared to the previous version, there is a noticeable increase in the number of labs in the intermediate scheme, and the new update conditions provide an opportunity to include many labs in the list.

Finally, the authorities recommend that you apply for type approval prior to entering the product to avoid the risk of customs delays and rejections that may affect the import process and sales.

India: TEC Announces Update on MTCTE Certification Deadline and Phase 5 Execution

On 23 June 2023, the Telecommunications Engineering Center (TEC) of India reflected important updates to MTCTE phases III, IV and V. Changes include:

1. Certification deadline extension

  a. The deadline for mandatory certification of 32 products (ER) applicable to MTCTE phases III and IV has been extended by 3 months from July 1, 2023 to October 1, 2023.

  b. The deadline for mandatory certification of 12 products (ER) applicable to MTCTE phases III and IV has also been extended by six months from July 1, 2023 to January 1, 2024.

2. Approval of ILAC test report

  For 10 specific products (ERs) covered by MTCTE phases III and IV, the last date for acceptance of test reports issued by laboratories accredited by ILAC has been extended by six months. The new deadline is December 31, 2023 instead of the previous June 30, 2023.

3. MTCTE phase V

  The following dates have been announced for Phase V's eight products (ERs):

  a. Application acceptance on the MTCTE portal will begin on July 1, 2023.

  b. Certification will be mandatory from 1 July 2024. (ILAC report accepted before 30 June 2024)

Laos: Announcement of Circular No. 3583 regulations by MTC

On December 13, 2022, the Lao Ministry of Technology and Communications (MTC) issued Circular No. 3583 on Management of Telecommunications and ICT Equipment. Notice No. 2118/PTS regarding previous MPT requirements is superseded by this. This regulation will come into effect on May 1, 2023.

The new requirements are:

 - Equipment that requires a certificate and notification of technical compliance is called Type 1. Type 1 equipment generally requires sample submission, but there may be exceptions. 

 - Devices of type 2 are devices that only require reporting to regulatory compliance technical regulations

 - The validity period of the certificate is 1 to 3 years. 

 - MTC has compiled a list of equipment that must be labeled.

South Africa: Approval of new regulations Wi-Fi 6E

ICASA has covered the 5.925 to 6.425 MHz frequency range in the sub-6 GHz band for wireless local access network (RLAN/Wi-Fi) support. 

This decision allows utilization of the lower 6 GHz frequency for Wi-Fi services. In a recent announcement, ICASA announced amendments to Annex B of the 2015 Radio Frequency Spectrum Regulations, allowing use of the sub-portion of the 6 GHz band for Wi-Fi.

The specific frequencies covered in this revision are from 5.925 GHz to 6.425 GHz. ICASA also covered the 122-246 GHz frequency band for non-specific short-range applications.

Thailand: NBTC Required Document Guidelines

Due to NBTC TS 1039-2566, Technical Standard for Telecommunications Equipment Using Frequencies of 5.925-6.425 GHz, issued on April 28, 2023, NBTC held an internal meeting on June 8 to discuss the required documents and tests for Class B Concluded the report. Below is a summary of the required documentation/test report guidelines:

 - Wi-Fi 6E module approved

  NBTC has never approved Wi-Fi 6E modules because the frequencies 6.425-7.125GHz are illegal in Thailand, but we came to the conclusion that we can approve Sdoc to allow Wi-Fi 6E modules to be imported into the Thai market. 

  RF test report of Wi-Fi 6E module is allowed for product approval. In this case, 5.925-7.125 GHz should be turned off (only 2.4 and 5 GHz are used). 

  Test mode LPI (250mW EIRP) and VLP (25mW EIRP), two types of test modes must be included in the test report. This applies to either the test report of the final product or the RF test report of the Wi-Fi 6E module. 

- RF test report

  Test results for all supported bandwidths must be included in the RF test report. The RF test report must include test results for all potential bandwidths.

- EMF/SAR test report 

  EMF/SAR test report cannot indicate frequency 6.425-7.125 GHz. Only 5.925-6.425 GHz should be included.

  Transmit Power Envelope (TPE)- Use the same product as the final product approval using the Wi-Fi 6E module's RF test report. For indoor, outdoor and indoor products only. NBTC classifies portable products with rechargeable batteries as suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.

Source: dtnc.co.kr