This regulation shall enter into force on the date of publication. Click on this link to view the original article (EU) 2023/2444.

On October 26, 2023, GCF released GCF-CC 3.91.0, with the following changes in frequency bands:

• Delete band: None;
• New frequency bands: CA_3A-18A, CA_1A-41C-42A, CA_3A-18A_RX4, DC_19A_n257A, DC_1A_n257A, DC_21A_n257A, DC_3A_n257A, DC_19A_n257G, CA_DL_n2A-n5A-n66A, CA_DL_n2A_n77C, CA_DL_n2A-n48A-n77A, CA_ DL_n5A-n48A-n77A、CA_DL_n48A-n66A-n77A.

GCF-CC 3.91.0 will have an effective date of October 26, 2023, and a mandatory date of February 6, 2024 (GCF 3.90.0 will expire on February 5, 2024).

On October 23, 2023, the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) of Vietnam solicited public comments on the draft notice on the "1710-1785 MHz and 1805-1880 MHz frequency bands planned for Vietnam's IMT mobile information system". According to the draft, the frequency band will be used for IMT Advance (LTE-A) and IMT-2020 (5G NR). Mobile communication systems such as GSM that have been deployed in this band can be used until September 15, 2024.

Click This link is available for the original public consultation which is open until 23 December 2023.

On October 4, 2023, the European Commission published Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/2392 in the Official Journal of the European Union containing new harmonized standards in support of the Radio Equipment Directive. The "Implementation Decision" has now been implemented, and the key points are updated as follows:

• The cellular equipment standard EN 301 908-1 has been updated to V15.2.1, EN 301 908-1 V15.1.1 will expire on April 4, 2025, and the previous version, EN 301 908-1 V13.1.1, has already expired on September 29, 2023;
• The DAB equipment standard EN 302 077 has been updated to V2.3.1 and EN 302 077-2 V1.1.1 will expire on April 4, 2025.

Click the this link to view the original implementation decision.

On September 29, 2023, the Federal Register officially released revisions to Title 47 to introduce a series of new standards:

• ANSI C63.4a–2017: Disturbance measurement method for low-voltage electrical and electronic equipment from 9kHz to 40GHz;
• ANSI C63.10–2020: License-exempt device test procedure. The mandatory date of this standard is October 30, 2025;
• ANSI C63.25.1–2018: 1 GHz to 18 GHz Field Validation Standard;

The above updates will take effect on October 30, 2023. Click this link to view the original Federal Register announcement.

Mexico's Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFETEL) previously held a public consultation on June 23, 2023 on a draft modification of IFT-011-2022: Technical Specifications for Mobile End Equipment Part 3 Emergency Alerts for Cellular Broadcasting Systems. On September 20, 2023, IFETEL released the official modification of NOM-221 Part 3. The main contents of the modification order are as follows:

• The channels designated to receive alert messages in mobile end devices shall not be used for advertising, promotional or other purposes other than those listed in the Technical Regulations;
• Channels 4380 (primary configuration) and 519 (secondary configuration) must be enabled and activated via an MMI code provided by the ETM manufacturer;
• Compliance with the alarm message display format in mobile end devices will be verified by using a digital radio communication simulator;
• The conformity assessment will continue for mobile terminal devices that are undergoing conformity assessment before the modification takes effect, and the assessment can be completed according to the content of the original standard;
• Testing laboratories and certification bodies may continue to publish test reports and CoCs in accordance with versions prior to IFT-011-2022 published on September 13, 2022, for up to 120 calendar days after the modifications take effect.

The amendment order has become effective on 21 September 2023. Click this link to view the original text of the change order.

Following the public consultation on June 28, 2023, on September 12, 2023, the Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) website updated the list of ISED certification standards, this time with a major update to the reference standard ANSI C63.10:

• Until September 12, 2025, manufacturers can choose ANSI C63.10-2013 or ANSI C63.10-2020+Cor.1-2023;
• Only ANSI C63.10-2020 + Cor.1-2023 is allowed after September 12, 2025.

Click this link can be found on the ISED website for a list of relevant standards.

On September 5, 2023, the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) of Vietnam issued a new Circular No. 10/2023/TT-BTTTT suspending some of the technical standards already implemented in Circular 04/2023/TT-BTTTT. The main points are as follows:

1) Suspend the implementation of all technical standards for the following products:

• 5G mobile communication terminals: The mandatory implementation date of the standards QCVN 127:2021/BTTTT, QCVN 129:2021/BTTTT and QCVN 18:2022/BTTTT is December 31, 2023;
• 76-77GHz radar equipment: standard QCVN 124:2021/BTTTT is enforced on June 30, 2024;

2) Suspend the implementation of the following product technical standard extreme/critical condition test requirements:

• 9 kHz - 25 MHz Short Range Radio Transmitters: Standard QCVN 55:2011/BTTTT has a mandatory implementation date of December 31, 2023;
• 2.4GHz broadband data transmission equipment: Standard QCVN 54:2020/BTTTT has a mandatory implementation date of December 31, 2023;
• 5GHz Radio Access Devices: Standard QCVN 65:2021/BTTTT is enforced on December 31, 2023;
• 920-923MHz LPWAN Devices: Standard QCVN 122:2020/BTTTT enforcement date is June 30, 2024;
• 13.56MHz RFID devices and wireless charging devices: Standard QCVN 55:2011/BTTTT is enforced on June 30, 2024.

With the effective effect of Circular No. 10/2023/TT-BTTTT, the above products can be imported into Vietnam without testing under extreme/critical conditions. However, after the end date, the product will need to be recertified according to the applicable technical standards to maintain compliance.

Click on this link to view the original text of Circular No. 10/2023/TT-BTTTT.

The Brazilian National Telecommunications Agency (ANATEL) issued Ato 13011/2023 on September 1, 2023, again postponing the execution of Ato 5159/2022. According to Act 13423/2022, the mandatory date for Ato 5159 is 21 October 2023, while according to the newly published Ato 13011/2023, power adapters used by mobile phones can still be tested and evaluated with Ato 3481/2019 until 18 April 2024. ATO 13011/2023 has come into effect on September 4, 2023.

Click this link to view the original article of Ato 13011/2023.

According to the bill, smartphones and tablets placed on the EU market must display information about their energy efficiency, battery life, protection against dust and water, and protection against accidental drops. This is the first time that a product on the EU market has been required to display a repairability score.

Ecodesign Act (EU) 2023/1670

In order to improve the energy efficiency and durability of mobile phone and tablet products, strict requirements have been put forward for the maintainability, reliability and recycling of products through eco-design principles such as open repair rights, increased product transparency, and recycling.

Ecodesign Act, manufacturers, importers or agents are obliged to provide critical spare parts to maintenance personnel within 5-10 working days until 7 years after the end of the sale of the product model on the EU market.

If a battery or back cover assembly is not available to the customer, the manufacturer needs to ensure that the product design meets the following requirements:

1. The cycle life is not less than 500 times, and after 500 times, there is at least 83% of the remaining capacity;

2. The battery cycle life is not less than 1000 times, and after 1000 times, there is at least 80% remaining capacity;

3. The product has IP67 dustproof and waterproof design.

The Act requires manufacturers, importers or agents to publish product repair manuals on their free websites to provide professional technicians or users with information related to the repair and maintenance of products, including product identification, disassembly diagrams, fault diagnosis information, necessary circuit connection diagrams, tag diagrams, and disassembly tool requirements.

In order to improve the durability of mobile phones and tablets, the bill requires that products must meet certain reliability requirements

1. Anti-drop design;

2. Mohs 4 hardness screen design;

3. IP44 dustproof and waterproof design

4. The battery cycle life is not less than 500 times;

5. Improve the battery management function and optimize the charging efficiency

6. Availability of operating system upgrades: at least 5 years after the product is placed on the market;

7. Professional repairers use any software or firmware required for replacement without discrimination.

Energy Efficiency Rating Labelling Act (EU) 2023/1669

According to the Act, all smartphones and tablets must be labelled with an energy efficiency rating and registered on the EU's public goods database EPREL before they can be placed on the market.

Energy efficiency labels for smartphones and tablets

In response to the two new EU Directives, the CTTL-Terminal Labs can provide a complete evaluation program for enterprises, and can contact xialijiao@caict.ac.cn if necessary.