Telecommunications equipment is usually required to fulfil certain requirements in order to be marketed and used in a particular country. Some example schemes are described below.
USAThe
FCC oversees the authorization of equipment using the radio frequency spectrum in the USA. Such equipment may not be imported or marketed unless it meets the technical standards specified by the FCC. Equipment may be subject to verification (in which manufacturers test the device), declaration of conformity (which requires testing by an accredited test laboratory) or certification (which is issued by the FCC or a designated Telecommunications Certification Body based on test results submitted by the supplier) depending upon its capabilities.
CanadaThe
Certification and Engineering Bureau of Industry Canada provides a certification service for radio and terminal equipment in Canada.
European UnionThe
Radio and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment (R&TTE) Directive (199/5/EC) defines a harmonised regulatory framework for the approval of terminal equipment in the European Union. It is based on supplier declaration of conformity to basic requirements intended to ensure that the equipment is safe to use and does not cause interference with other equipment.
A number of regulatory authorities provide databases of approved equipment. For example,
Global Mobile Communications by Satellite (GMPCS)The ITU acts as a depository of information related to the type approval of terminal equipment for GMPCS under the provisions of the
GMPCS Memorandum of Understanding. The ITU maintains a list of GMPCS-MoU signatories, system operators, terminal manufacturers and a registry of type approval letters.
