Gazette Notice SMSE-010-05

Department of Industry

Radiocommunication Act

Notice No. SMSE-010-05 - Amendment of Radio Standards Specification 210 (RSS-210) and New Issues of RSS-310 and RSS-Gen

Notice is hereby given that Industry Canada is amending Radio Standards Specification 210 which sets out minimum requirements for the certification of low-power radio transmitters and receivers which are exempt from licensing. Notice is also given that Industry Canada is introducing two new Radio Standards Specifications: RSS-310, Issue 1 which sets out requirements for licence-exempt Category II radiocommunication equipment (i.e. equipment not requiring certification) and RSS-Gen, Issue 1 which comprises all testing, administrative, certification and general technical requirements common to all or most Radio Standards Specifications. These new issues are:

Radio Standards Specification 210, Issue 6: Low-power Licence-exempt Radiocommunication Devices (All Frequency Bands): Category I Equipment (RSS-210).

Radio Standards Specification 310, Issue 1: Low-power Licence-exempt Radiocommunication Devices (All Frequency Bands): Category II Equipment (RSS-310).

Radio Standards Specification Gen, Issue 1: General Requirements and Information for the Certification of Radiocommunication Equipment (RSS-Gen).

RSS-210, Issue 6

RSS-210, Issue 6 adopts a completely new format from previous versions. Over the years, frequent modifications and additions to RSS-210 have resulted in a very large document that is unwieldy and complicated. To improve the document and streamline the revision process, RSS-210, Issue 6 will now present the technical requirements particular to each type of equipment it addresses in a set of separate annexes. When equipment requirements undergo revision, it will only be necessary to amend the applicable annex or annexes instead of reissuing the entire standard.

With the release of RSS-210, Issue 6 the Department is also adopting technical rules which will facilitate the operation of radio frequency identification (RFID) systems in the bands 13.11-14.01 MHz and the
433.5-434.5 MHz. 

RFID systems use radio signals to track goods and merchandise that are tagged with an active or passive device which can be interrogated by a transmitter/receiver to provide an identifying code. These devices are currently permitted in a number of bands (Footnote 1) on a licence-exempt basis, including the spectrum at 13.56 MHz and 433 MHz. These modifications to RSS-210 will align with the technical standards currently in force in the US, and will permit the development of RFID devices which can operate in other countries.

The modifications in the band 433.5-434.5 MHz increase the maximum permitted field strength and duration of transmission to facilitate higher data rates and improve reliability. These changes are intended to improve the operation of RFID devices used to identify the contents of commercial shipping containers in industrial settings such as ports, rail yards and warehouses. It is anticipated that these changes will result in improvements to the security and efficiency of commercial shipping operations.

The modifications for RFID systems currently in the band 13.11-14.01 MHz band include an increase in the bandwidth available for use and an increase in the maximum field strength allowed.

RSS-210 has also been amended to include technical requirements for licence-exempt wireless local area networks (LE-LANs) in the 5 GHz band to reflect Industry Canada’s Spectrum Utilization Policy 5150 MHz, Issue 2
(SP-5150). Also, additional technical specifications have been included to account for technology changes of other unlicensed low-power radio devices.

RSS-310, Issue 1

RSS-310, while a new addition to the RSS group of standards, was derived from RSS-210 requirements for low-power licence-exempt Category II radiocommunication equipment. For the purposes of improved clarity and ease of use, requirements for Category II radiocommunication equipment have been removed from RSS-210 and made the subject of the new RSS-310.

RSS- Gen, Issue 1

RSS-Gen sets out general requirements for the certification of radiocommunication equipment. Since these general requirements are common to all or most RSSs covering the various types of radiocommunication equipment, it was decided that all these requirements would be compiled under one document to improve ease of use and to facilitate the revision process. RSS-Gen must be used in conjunction with the RSS that is applicable to the equipment for which certification is sought.

Since RSS-Gen outlines the general certification requirements which were previously found in the individual RSSs, the Department is in the process of reformatting these standards to remove duplicate information. Revised issues will be published on Industry Canada’s Spectrum Management and Telecommunications Web site when reformatting is complete.

General Information

The above documents will come into force as of the date of publication of this notice.

These documents have been coordinated with the Radio Advisory Board of Canada (RABC).

The Radio Equipment Technical Standards Lists will be amended to reflect the above changes.

Any inquiries regarding this notice should be directed to the Manager, Radio Equipment Standards, telephone: (613) 990-4699, fax: (613) 991-3961,
e-mail: res.nmr@ic.gc.ca.

Submitting Comments

Respondents are requested to provide their comments in electronic format (WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, Adobe PDF or ASCII TXT) to the following
e-mail address: res.nmr@ic.gc.ca, along with a note specifying the software, version number and operating system used.

Written submissions should be addressed to the Director General, Spectrum Engineering, 300 Slater Street, Ottawa, Canada K1A 0C8.

All submissions should cite the Canada Gazette, Part I, publication date, the title, and the notice reference number (SMSE-010-05).

Obtaining Copies

Copies of this notice and documents referred to are available electronically on the Spectrum Management and Telecommunications Web site at: http://strategis.gc.ca/spectrum.

Official printed copies of Canada Gazette notices can be obtained from the Canada Gazette Web site at: http://canadagazette.gc.ca/publication-e.html or by calling the sales counter of Canadian Government Publishing at
(819) 941-5995 or 1 800 635-7943

August 31, 2005

_________________

R.W. McCaughern
Director General
Spectrum Engineering

Footnotes

1. Bands available for RFID operation include spectrum less than 135 kHz, as well as 13.56 MHz, 433 MHz, 868-870 MHz, 902-928 MHz, 2400-2483.5 MHz and 5725-5875 MHz.