MICS transceivers: regulatory standards and applications [medical implant communications service]

The medical implant communications service (MICS) is an ultra-low power, unlicensed, mobile radio service for transmitting data in support of diagnostic or therapeutic functions associated with implanted medical devices. The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) allocated the 402-405 MHz frequency band for MICS operations on a shared, secondary basis in 1999. Although it is a fairly new standard, its usage is rapidly increasing in medical implant devices such as cardiac pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators, neurostimulators, hearing aids and automated drug delivery systems. This paper reviews the regulatory standards and the characteristics of MICS transceivers.