On 22 December 2023, the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) published a notice on its official website inviting public comments on the consultation paper entitled "Spectrum Assignment for Advanced Broadband Services including 5G".

In the consultation paper, TRCSL plans to provide the following spectrum for a period of 10 years:

• 2.5 GHz band: Lot 1 (2500-2510 MHz), Lot 2 (2510-2520 MHz), Lot 3 (2540-2550 MHz);
• 3.5 GHz frequency band: Lot 4 (3.4-3.5 GHz), Lot 5 (3.5-3.6 GHz);
mmWave frequency bands: Lot 6 (27.0-27.1 GHz), Lot 7 (27.1-27.2 GHz), Lot 8 (27.2-27.3 GHz
• ), and Lot 9 (27.3-27.4 GHz).

Click on the link to view the original document. Public consultation will be open until 19 February 2024.

On December 18, 2023, the Directorate General of Postal and Information Resources and Equipment (SDPPI) of Indonesia has issued the Ministerial Decree KEPMEN KOMINFO No. 601/2023 on the Technical Standard for Passive Antennas. The regulation applies to the following antennas: international mobile telecommunications (IMT)-based base stations, microwave link equipment, wireless LAN equipment for backhaul and broadband wireless access equipment. The antenna mentioned above refers to a passive antenna without a radio unit, which is an external antenna that is installed or other external antennas that use connectors with cables or wave-guides.

This technical standard will be implemented from December 18, 2023. For antennas for wireless LAN equipment for backhaul with a gain of ≤16 dBi, this type of antenna will take effect six months after the entry into force of the Ministerial Order.

Click this link to check the original text of the Ministerial Decree KOMINFO No. 601/2023.

The Telecom Engineering Center (TEC) of India announced on December that the mandatory date for security testing of Wi-Fi CPE and IP Routers has been extended for and additional three months.  In the postponement announcement issued on June 12, 2023, the TEC has postponed the mandatory safety testing, which was originally scheduled to begin on July 1, 2023, to January 1, 2024, and has now been rescheduled to begin on April 1, 2024. As of April 1, 2024, TEC will begin accepting online applications for security certifications through the integrated MTCTE and NCCS portals.

Click this link to view the original TEC announcement.

Following a consultation on 6 June 2023, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) published RSS-102 Issue 6 "Radio Frequency (RF) Exposure Compliance for Radiocommunication Equipment (All Frequency Bands)" on 15 December 2023 along with the following supporting documents:

• RSS-102. SAR. MEAS Issue 1 – "Measurement Procedure for Assessing Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) Compliance According to RSS-102";
• RSS-102. NS. MEAS Issue 1 – "Measurement Procedures for Assessing Neurostimulation Compliance According to RSS-102";
• RSS-102. NS. SIM Issue 1 – "Simulation Procedure for Assessing Neurostimulation (NS) Compliance According to RSS-102";
• RSS-102. IPD. MEAS Issue 1 – "Measurement Procedures for Assessing Incident Power Density (IPD) Compliance According to RSS-102";
• RSS-102. IPD. SIM Issue 1 – "Simulation Procedure for Assessing Incident Power Density (IPD) Compliance According to RSS-102".

Click this link can be found in the original RSS-102 Issue 6 standard and supporting documents.

The National Telecommunications Commission of Sierra Leone (NATCOM) changed its name to the National Communications Authority (NatCA) on December 15, 2023.

Click on this link to view the press release on NatCA's official website introducing the name change.

In November 2023, the Tanzania Communications Authority (TCRA) published a new version of the Type Approval Guidelines for Electronic Communications Equipment in accordance with the Electronic and Postal Communications Act 2022 Amendment and the Postal Communications (Electronic) Communication Equipment Standards and E-Waste Management Regulations, 2020.

Communications equipment manufacturers, importers, and suppliers ensure that their equipment goes through TCRA's type approval process before it is imported into the United Republic of Tanzania for sale or use. The objectives of the guidelines are to streamline the type approval process in Tanzania under the Act and Regulations, and to develop and align the type approval process with international best practices.

Some of the changes to the new program are summarized below:

• The type approval application should be submitted using the new online type approval system platform, 
• and the applicant should confirm whether the type has been approved through the "Tanzanite" portal database before submitting the application. For models that have already been type-approved, there is no need to re-type-approve the equipment,
• and for all set-top boxes and terminal electronic communication equipment (ECE) connected to a cellular network, samples need to be submitted to the Authority for testing or evaluation. Other equipment is only to be submitted as a sample upon request, 
• and the modular type approval is defined as the host product or the equipment itself should be type approved. If it is intended to be imported separately, the module should be type-approved,
• and definition of software approval: If the device model hosting the particular software is to be type-approved, taking into account the applicable requirements. Where applicable, TCRA may require the manufacturer or type approval applicant to provide information about the security of the software to prevent unauthorized software changes that may alter the operating parameters of the device;
• The TCRA label should be like the following example. The font family should be Arial the the minimum font size should be 5. Elabel is allowed.

Click this link to view the original text of TCRA's new Type Approval Guide for Electronic Communication Equipment.

On December 14, 2023, the Brazilian National Telecommunications Agency (ANATEL) issued announcements numbered No.463/2023/ORCN/SOR-ANATEL and No.464/2023/ORCN/SOR-ANATEL, postponing the timing of the laboratory's accreditation to December 14, 2024:

• Ato 7971 "Technical Requirements for Approval and Assessment of IPv6 Protocol Compliance in Telecommunications Products" published on June 22, 2023. As the requirements of Ato 7971 are consistent with the IPv6 evaluation requirements of existing telecommunications products, ORCN, the certification and number management agency responsible for ANATEL, has recognized ipv6 test qualified laboratories which support Technical Requirements List - Class I to implement ato 7971 testing for a period of 1 year until the laboratory is accredited per Ato 7971;
• Ato 17087 "Technical Requirements for Approval of Electrical Safety in Conformity Assessment of Telecommunications Products" issued on December 19, 2022 Since the requirements of Ato 17087 are consistent with the requirements of the existing Ato 950, ANATEL allows laboratories with the original Ato 950 qualification to test according to Ato 17087 for a period of 1 year until the laboratory obtains the qualification of Ato 17087. ANATEL also subsequently released No.466/ 2023/ORCN/SOR-ANATEL announcement is only an errata to Announcement No. 463. In addition, ANATEL has announced that it will waive the obligation of visual inspection of product labelling by laboratories until March 27, 2024.

Click this link to view No.463/2023/ORCN/SOR-ANATEL, click this link to view No.464/2023/ORCN/SOR-ANATEL.

On December 13, 2023, the Albanian Electronic Postal Communications Authority (AKEP) issued Decision No. 721/2023 amending Decision No. 378 of the Technical Regulations on the Conformity Assessment Procedure for Radio Equipment. This technical regulation specifies the minimum requirements that radio equipment must meet before it can be placed on the market, distributed and put into service. The Decision makes a number of amendments, mainly including:

• Article 10(9): Radio equipment within the scope of the regulation must be accompanied by a description which must contain information about the charging function of the equipment. The information must also be provided on the label in the format specified in Part IV of Annex I/1. The label must be printed on the instruction manual or affixed to the package. In the absence of packaging, adhesives can be used to attach the label to the radio equipment. The label must be clearly visible, and for devices sold online, the label must be placed close to the price;
• Ariticles 12(4) and 13(2): When providing radio equipment to consumers and other end users, importers and distributors must respectively ensure that: a) the radio equipment has or is being equipped with a label that complies with Article 10 (9) of these Rules;  b) The label is displayed in a visible and legible manner and, in the case of distance selling, the label has been placed close to the price indicator;
• and Article 21(3): Albanian language is replaced by the official language of the country where the authority/Notified Body is located or a language that is easily understood by the authority/Notified Body.

The decision enters into force from the date of publication in the Official Gazette on December 19, 2023. Click on this link to view the original decision.

On December 5, 2023, the Argentine National Communications Agency (ENACOM) issued Resolution 2097/2023 that devices supporting 5G NR can now be approved in Argentina. This regulation will take effect from the date of publication of the official announcement on December 7, 2023.

In addition, the resolution also publishes the new technical standard ENACOM-Q2-61.03 V23.1 version. Main changes:

• Allows approval of devices using 5G NR n the n78 band: 3300 – 3700 MHz, and
• Updates local technical standards to add Chapter 5 of 5G NR.

The new standard will provide a 90-day transition period (until March 6, 2024) during which ENACOM-Q2-61.03 V17.1 will still be available. In addition, foreign test reports (FCC, RED, ANATEL, etc.) can be recognized, and the self-declaration of conformity (DoC) of the country of origin can be recognized until two local laboratories are authorized to carry out 5G NR Chapter V tests.

Click on this link to view the original resolution.

On 1 December 2023, the European Commission published Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/2669 amending the implementing decision (EU) 2022/2191 on harmonised standards for wireless communication devices used at or near the human body.

The harmonized standards EN 50360:2017/A1:2023 and EN 50566:2017/A1:2023 are used to cover the essential requirements set out in Article 3 of the Directive. The original EN 50360:2017 and EN 50566:2017 can be used until 1 June 2025.

Click on this link to view the original implementation decision.