European Market Access on Short Range Devices - Requirements & Standards -

In the year 1999 the European Parliament passed legislation mandating the circulation of radio and telecommunications terminal equipment into the European market. All radio products were affected by the new European "Directive 99/5/EC of the European Parliament and Council of the European Union on radio equipment and telecommunications terminal equipment and the mutual recognition of their conformity" (R&TTE-Directive). The telecommunications industry has been entering a new era in which the standards adopted may be covered by the requirements of this directive. This paper provides an overview to aid in understanding the philosophy of the R&TTE-Directive. The quantum leap from the closely regulated regimes based on national type approval to a Europe-wide light regime based on manufacturers' declaration as specified in the R&TTE-Directive, opens both, opportunities and risks as perceived by manufacturers and regulators alike. Particular concerns arise over those radio devices using the many non-harmonised radio frequency allocations in the Member States such as Short Range Devices (SRD). This paper discusses the placing on the market and taking into service of SRDs, EMC and radio requirements they have to meet, test standards under the new and old regime, frequency allocation and license requirements in the Member States.