On January 2, 2025, Saudi Arabia's Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) and the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO) jointly announced the first phase of mandatory unified charging ports for electronic devices in Saudi Arabia from January 1, 2025. However, at the same time, SASO also sent a letter to the relevant authorities in December, clarifying the following mandatory requirements:

• Submission of SASO IEC 62368-1:2020 Information and Communication Technology Equipment, Audio/Video - Part 1: Safety Requirements Test Report;
• Submit a self-declaration of conformity to SASO, which should be included in the product technical documentation, committing that the uniform charging port meets the performance requirements specified in SASO IEC 62680-1-2:2023 and SASO IEC 62680-1-3:2023;
• A one-year grace period will be provided for the above requirements as of January 1, 2025.

Click this link to view the announcement on the CST website about the first phase of enforcement.

On January 2, 2025, the Directorate General for Digital Infrastructure (SDPPI) of Indonesia issued a notice on its official website announcing the expiration of Decree No. 109 of 2024 on the authorization of foreign testing laboratories for the certification of telecommunications equipment in Indonesia (the expiration date of the regulation is December 31, 2024). In the notice, SDPPI made the following requests:

• Reports issued by foreign laboratories from January 1, 2025 cannot be used for certification until the foreign laboratory is re-accredited in accordance with the latest regulations;
• Reports issued before January 1, 2025 will still be available for certification for the next 6 months.

Since October 30, 2024, when SDPPI closed the new round of laboratory qualification applications, SDPPI has not issued new regulations for the authorization of foreign testing laboratories for this application yet. Based on the communication with SDPPI by the platform, the relevant regulations are still in the process of being signed within the Indonesian Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs; In addition, when the new regulations on laboratory authorization are issued, SDPPI will recognize the reports issued by laboratories authorized by the new regulations from January 1, 2025 to the date of publication of the regulations.

Click this link to view the original SDPPI announcement.

On January 1, 2025, the Ministry of Communications and Media (MIC) of Vietnam issued the regulation No.19/2024/TT-BTTTT and technical standard QCVN 134:2024/BTTTT the specific absorption rate of handheld and portable radio equipment. The specific requirements for the implementation of regulations and standards are as follows:

• This regulation will come into force on February 15, 2025, and the relevant testing, certification and declaration of conformity shall be in accordance with the QCVN 134:2024/BTTTT standard;
• For mobile phones, the mandatory date is July 1, 2026;
• For other products to which QCVN 134:2024/BTTTT applies, the mandatory date is July 1, 2027.

Click on this link to view the original regulations and standards.

On January 1, 2025, the Ministry of Communications and Media (MIC) of Vietnam issued the regulation No.20/2024/TT-BTTTT and technical standard QCVN 133:2024/2024/BTTTT NR and E-UTRA multi-standard mobile communication base station equipment. The specific requirements for the implementation of regulations and standards are as follows:

• This regulation will come into force on February 15, 2025, and the relevant testing, certification and declaration of conformity shall be in accordance with the QCVN 133:2024/BTTTT standard;
• Starting July 1, 2025, NR and E-UTRA multi-standard mobile base stations must comply with the QCVN 133:2024/BTTTT standard.

Click on the link to view the original regulations and standards.

On January 1, 2025, the Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC) of India issued a notice to accept RF test reports issued by ILAC accredited laboratories from non-border sharing countries for some product technical parameters under the MTCTE framework, which is valid until June 30, 2025. Only test reports within two years of the date of issue will be accepted.

Related products include:

• MTCTE Phase III: Base station up to 4G;
• MTCTE Phase IV: SIM & VHF UHF Wireless System;
• MTCTE Phase V: 5G Bbase sation and E-Band Fixed Wireless Relay System (Note: E-band is the 71-86GHz band).

Click this link to view the original notice issued by TEC.

Following a public consultation on August 23, 2024, on December 31, 2024, the Ministry of Information and Media (MIC) of Vietnam issued a circular numbered 21/2024/TT-BTTTT promulgating the National Technical Regulations on Basic Information Security Requirements for Surveillance Cameras Using Internet Protocols, QCVN 135:2024/BTTTT.

The conformity assessment must be carried out in accordance with Method 1 (Sampling Inspection), Method 5 (Type Testing Combined with Production Process Supervision) and Method 7 (Sampling Inspection and Evaluation of Batch Products) as set out in Circular Letter No. 28/2012/TT-BKHCN and its amendments. The circular will take effect on 15 February 2025. As of January 1, 2026, imported and domestically produced Internet Protocol surveillance camera equipment must comply with the provisions of QCVN 135:2024/BTTTT.

Click on the view the original Circular.

On December 27, 2024, the U.S. Federal Release website posted an update to the mandatory date for the 100% HAC requirement. After the update, the relevant date requirement is (the red text 13 replaced the previous 12):

• From December 14, 2026 to December 13 2028, Bluetooth coupling can be proprietary or universal Bluetooth protocol; After December 13 2028 only low-power-based universal Bluetooth protocols can be used;
• Before June 13 2028, non-national service providers should meet 85% of the HAC requirements and 100% of the HAC requirements thereafter.

Click this link to view the original announcement.

On December 25, 2024, the Serbian Supervisory Authority for Electronic Communications and Postal Services (RATEL) announced that it will no longer conduct conformity assessments for radio equipment as of January 1, 2025. This change, driven by Article 32.4 of the Radio Equipment Rulebook (Official Gazette of Serbia, No. 24/24), marks a major shift in the regulatory responsibilities of the radio equipment industry. Applications for conformity assessment or certificate of conformity submitted on or before 31 December 2024 will be processed in accordance with the current rulebook and established procedures.

As of January 1, 2025, the Conformity Assessment Body (CAB) will assume full responsibility for assessing conformity and issuing the relevant certifications. The CAB must comply with the Rulebook for Radio Equipment and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment (RS Official Gazette, No. 11/12) and apply to the competent authority for appointment in accordance with the requirements of Article 32, paragraph 3, of the Codebook. One of the previously designated certification bodies is KVALITET, which is also Serbia's NCB in the CB system.

Transitioning to CAB for compliance assessment means manufacturers need to be prepared in advance to meet compliance requirements. A key consideration is that certificates issued by different CABs may slightly alter product labeling requirements. For example, the ID of the certification body is a mandatory part of the product label.

Click this link to view the original RATEL announcement on this.

On December 18, 2024, Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) announced on the WTO TBT platform that it intends to amend the Radio Equipment Ordinance (i.e., the Radio Law) to promote the widespread use of WLAN systems in the 5.2GHz band, especially for aerial applications.

Click this link to view the original MIC announcement on the WTO TBT platform.

On December 18, 2024, the National Radio Office issued the "Notice on Further Clarifying the Relevant Technical Requirements for Radio Transmission Equipment for Direct Connected Communication of the Internet of Vehicles" on the official website of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the main contents of which are as follows:

In October 2018, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology took the lead in the world in promulgating the "Regulations on the Management of the Use of 5905-5925MHzMHz Frequency Bands for Direct Communication of Internet of Vehicles (Intelligent Connected Vehicles)" (Ministry of Industry and Information Technology [2018] No. 203, hereinafter referred to as the "Management Regulations"). In order to promote the development of China's Internet of Vehicles direct communication, the technical route has been clarified, and the spectrum resource guarantee has been provided, which has played a positive role in promoting the research and development of related products, the formulation of standards, the maturity of the industrial chain, and the testing and verification.

In order to further implement the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, better promote the high-quality development of the Internet of Vehicles industry, meet the needs of the industry, and continuously optimize the allocation of spectrum resources, the relevant technical requirements for the direct connection of the Internet of Vehicles to communication radio transmission equipment are as follows:

1. The channel bandwidth that can be used by vehicle-mounted or portable radio transmission equipment for direct communication is 10MHz (5905-5915MHz) or 20MHz (5905-5925MHz).

Second, the direct communication roadside radio transmission equipment of the Internet of Vehicles can work on the channel bandwidth of 10MHz (5915-5925MHz) or 20MHz (5905-5925MHz).

3. The management of the use of radio transmission equipment and other technical requirements for direct communication of the Internet of Vehicles are still implemented in accordance with the "Management Regulations".

Click this link to view the original text of the "Regulations on the Management of the Use of 5905-5925MHz Frequency Bands for Direct Communication of Internet of Vehicles (Intelligent Connected Vehicles) (Provisional)".