Don't Be Left Seeing 'RED' with EU's New Radio Equipment Directive

As we enter the age of the Internet of Things (IoT), devices utilizing the radio frequency spectrum have evolved beyond radios, televisions, computers, and phones to include home appliances, medical devices, cars, and wearables, among other products. With the increased use of the radio spectrum in daily life, the European Union (EU) recently reviewed legislation governing radio and telecommunications terminal equipment, which resulted in the new Radio Equipment Directive (RED) 2014/53/EU. On June 13, 2016, new products must start complying with the requirements; legacy products will need full compliance by June 13, 2017.

Directive Overview

Much of the revised legislation includes updates to the definitions of what constitutes radio-using equipment. The terms “apparatus” and “telecommunication terminal equipment” have been removed, and the definition of “radio equipment” has been updated to include any electrical or electronic product which intentionally emits and/or receives radio waves for the purpose of communication and/or radiodetermination, either by design or addition of an accessory.

All receivers, including broadcast radio and TV equipment, now fall under the scope of the RED rule; cable and wiring equipment is no longer excluded. The scope of the directive does not apply to:

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Additional changes include the elimination of a lower limit for the radio spectrum frequency governed by the directive, as well as voltage limits for radio equipment. New definitions and provisions allow the European Commission to adopt “delegated acts” at a later date. Responsibilities are assigned to the various economic operators for a given product. Guidance regarding software, chargers, differing configurations, documentation, re-badging, and market surveillance are also included in the new directive.

Compliance

There are now three options for manufacturers to prove compliance with the essential requirements:

Responsibilities

As previously mentioned, the directive gives specific responsibilities to each “economic operator” in the supply chain.

Manufacturers

The compliance of radio equipment is the sole responsibility of the manufacturer under the new directive. To be compliant, the manufacturer must ensure product construction is appropriate so that it can “operate in at least one Member State without infringing applicable requirements.” The manufacturer must also create all appropriate documentation required for CE marking and affix CE marking to the product.

This is in addition to documentation required by the directive. All documentation must be made available for 10 years after the product has been on the market. The documentation must include details of the frequency band in which the equipment operates and the maximum radio frequency power transmitted frequency band(s) in which the equipment operates.