PTA Drafts Regulations for Telecom Equipment’s Standards

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has drafted “Regulations for Telecom Equipment’s Standards, 2022” to provide different standards for different classes of telecommunication equipment. The regulations prescribe the procedure for testing telecommunication equipment. These regulations will be applicable on all licenses issued under the Pakistan Telecommunication Act 1996 including those that are in the business of manufacturing and importing telecommunication equipment. The regulations categorize the minimum technical standards for Telecommunication Equipment. Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Standards would be applicable to all Satellite, Terminal, Terrestrial, Telecom and Wireless Equipment. Health & Safety standards would be applicable to all Satellite, Terminal, Terrestrial, Telecom and Wireless Equipment. Optical and laser standards would apply to all Devices offering Laser and Optical functionality, while Radio Frequency (RF) Communication Standards would be applicable to all Telecommunication Equipment using the required radio frequency. The regulations further say that Human Exposure Standards would be applicable to all Mobile Devices using the required radio frequency, while Satellite communication standards would be applicable to all Telecommunication Equipment using satellite communication. Also, Terminal Mobile Devices and Communication Standards would be applicable to all Terminal Equipment which requires radio Frequency, while Terrestrial Devices Standards would be applicable to all Terrestrial Equipment which requires Radio Frequency. As per the draft regulations, PTA would apply and adopt the standards for telecommunications equipment which could only be issued by; International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T), European Standards (EN), Directive 2014/53/EU for Radio Equipment Directive (RED), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Specification (OHSAS), The European Committee for Electro Technical Standardization (CENELEC), The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), The International Electro-Technical Commission (IEC) and its International Special Committee on Radio Interference (CISPR).