FEATURE CONTRACT MANUFACTURING THE EU RADIO EQUIPMENT DIRECTIVE
Dunstan Power at ByteSnap Design introduces the EU Radion Equipment Directive (RED); its scope, its impact on product design, and what action you need to take now
Examples of equipment included within the Directive’s scope:
Cordless/mobile phones, terminal adapters, telephones, fax machines, modems Additionally, legacy products will need to meet the latest RED harmonised standards; the EMC, safety and Radio R&TTE harmonised standards will eventually be harmonised under RED. Currently, there are very few RED harmonised radio standards and the R&TTE list has disappeared.
Figure 1 & 2:
WHAT ACTION NEEDS TO BE TAKEN NOW? We asked Anne Barr of The Compliance Map, a developer of supply chain and environmental compliance software solutions, about the key next steps for electronics companies. “First - determine whether products you design,
RED – ITS AIMS The new RED is designed to ensure all radio devices (or ‘apparatus’) within its remit are compatible for use in the EU, and can be safely deployed, with no loss of performance or risk to public communication services.
This is done through a regulatory mandate of standard technical requirements for telecommunications apparatus; allowing approved equipment to be sold without restriction between countries in the European Economic Area (EEA).
T
he compliance process in electronics product development can seem complex and risky, if
mandatory rules or regulations are misinterpreted. Now, developers and OEMs have the European
Union’s new Radio Equipment Directive 2014/53/EU (RED) to contend with, which came into force on 13th June 2016, replacing the Radio and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment Directive (R&TTE Directive 1995/5/EC). With a significant bearing on how manufacturers gain a CE Mark, due to changes between the two frameworks, it’s crucial to fully understand these regulatory differences, to avoid time and cost overruns.
REGULATORY NECESSITY Traditionally, almost all devices dependent on the radio frequency spectrum consisted of AV equipment, PCs and telecommunications technology, and regulatory compliance and conformity came under the R&TTE Directive. The driving forces behind the RED were
improving market surveillance and raising the number of products meeting requirements. The IoT was also believed to have been a contributory factor to the R&TTE Directive revisions.
24 FEBRUARY 2017 | ELECTRONICS Figure 1:
The EUs Radio Equipment Directive
Figure 2: The R&TTE Directive was replaced by the RED on 13 June 2016. This triggered a one-year grace period, during which both the old and new Directives may be used for product compliance. From 13 June 2017, only the RED will apply
ENFORCEMENT The R&TTE Directive was replaced by the RED on 13 June 2016. This triggered a one-year grace period, during which both the old and new Directives may be used for product compliance. From 13 June 2017, only the RED will apply.
RED – SO WHAT’S NEW? Main changes ushered in by the RED include: - No provision for Telecom Terminal Equipment (TTE); this now comes under the EMC (EMCD) or Low Voltage Directives (LVD)
- No lower limit to the radio frequency spectrum Under the RTT&E Directive, the range covered was between 9kHz and 3000GHz.
- LVD safety obligations: no voltage limits for radio equipment
- No alert sign (Class 2 labelling) - Provision for universal chargers to address wastage - Closer regulation of the activities of Notified Bodies The scope of the new RED includes:
All Radio Receivers (Broadcast TV and radio equipment included)
Equipment capable of being connected to a public telecommunications network
manufacture, import or distribute are in scope of the new directive given the changes that have taken place,” says Barr. “If you are affected by the directive, then a compliance project plan should be designed and implemented to meet the regulatory deadline of 13 June 2017. This should include assigning roles and responsibilities and allocating a budget for the following: Ensuring that the legislative requirements are understood and that changes e.g. with respect to product registration are tracked
Reviewing and updating existing conformity assessment procedures. The use of harmonised standards should be considered as it allows self- declaration of conformity. ETSI is currently in the process of developing these for different product types and OEMs should monitor progress Revising product labelling, technical documentation and declaration of conformity as appropriate
Amending risk management procedures e.g. sample testing, complaints monitoring and product recall as needed
Communicating requirements both internally and externally, ” Barr concludes.
POST-BREXIT, WHAT HAPPENS NOW? Though there’s been talk of a possible return to BSI (British Standards Institute) conformance, it’s too early to speculate about a potential 2-tier compliance system for devices manufactured in the UK. Britain hasn’t officially left the European Union; the process will take at least two years. Therefore, it’s business as usual as far as EU legislation, including the RED, is concerned. For more on European harmonised radio spectrum usage, try the EFIS tool - the European Communications Office’s Frequency Info System.
ByteSnap Design
www.bytesnap.co.uk T: 0121 222 5433
/ ELECTRONICS
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