Radio certification planner

How it works

A product with a radio needs a separate approval in almost every country, and the rule, the tests, the lead time and whether testing must happen in the country all differ. This planner proposes, for each market and band you pick, the rule or scheme by name, the test types, whether a pre-certified module can be reused, the lead time and the cost, then totals the cost and calendar, finds the critical path and shows how ready each market is. Lead times and costs are editorial estimates: replace them with quotes.

1. Choose the radios, the markets and the design. Pick every technology the product uses (Wi-Fi in its three bands, Bluetooth LE, cellular, LoRa or other sub-GHz, NFC, UWB) and every market. Say whether the design uses a pre-certified module or a chip-down radio, and how close to the body the product is used. Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz and Bluetooth LE share one band, so they share one test row.
2. Propose the rule and tests for each market and band. For each market and band the planner names the rule or scheme: in the EU the Radio Equipment Directive with the ETSI standards for the band; in the US the FCC Part 15 rules (Subpart C, Subpart E) and Parts 22, 24 and 27 for cellular; in Canada the ISED RSS standards; in the UK the Radio Equipment Regulations; in Japan the Radio Law technical conformity (Giteki); in China SRRC; in Korea the KC radio scheme; in India the WPC type approval; in Brazil Anatel homologation; and in Australia the ACMA rules and the RCM. Each market also gets an EMC row where the radio rules ask for one, an RF exposure row, and, for internet-connected products in the EU and UK, a security row.
3. Apply modular reuse. With a pre-certified module the radio test shrinks to a reuse check, by how each market treats modules. The US, Canada, Japan and Brazil allow the module's approval to be reused in a host. The EU, UK and Australia have no module grant, so the module's reports are reused and the host is assessed. China, Korea and India still approve the host, using the module's data to shorten the tests. The reuse shares are editorial.module test cost = chip-down cost x reuse share (0.15 modular, 0.4 reports, 0.7 host); weeks scale by 0.3, 0.6 and 0.8
4. Reuse tests between markets. For a chip-down design a market with the same technical standards as another can reuse its reports: the UK with the EU, Canada with the US, and Australia and India with either. Only the national differences are tested, which cuts about 70% of the cost and half the time in the editorial model.
5. Schedule the calendar. The pre-compliance check comes first. Radio, EMC and RF exposure tests wait for it, an approval waits for every test of its market, and cellular industry approvals wait for the check. Tests in different labs run in parallel. The calendar is the end of the longest chain, and the critical path lists that chain.start = latest end of the rows it waits for (or the sample-ready week); end = start + lead time; calendar = latest end
6. Track readiness and in-country testing. Each row has a status. A market is ready when all its rows are passed or waived. Rows marked Yes for in-country testing need samples sent to a laboratory in that country; rows marked Check depend on whether the national authority recognises a foreign laboratory.

Sources

The methods and default figures rest on these public sources. The wording here is our own; read the source for its full text.

• What the Commission is doing: electrical and electronic engineering industries (opens in a new tab), European Commission, Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, page checked October 2026. Describes the Radio Equipment Directive 2014/53/EU and the role of harmonised standards. The ETSI standards named in the plan are cited by number.
• RSS-Gen, General Requirements for Compliance of Radio Apparatus (opens in a new tab), Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, Issue 6, 30 July 2026, with Amendment 1 of 15 September 2026. The general requirements for licensed and licence-exempt radio apparatus in Canada, used with the RSS for the specific equipment.
• KDB 996369, Modules TCB (opens in a new tab), Federal Communications Commission, April 2023. An FCC presentation on certification and integration of modular transmitters; full and limited modular approval.
• 47 CFR Part 2, Subpart J: Equipment Authorization Procedures (opens in a new tab), Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (Office of the Federal Register), current text, checked October 2026. Certification by a telecommunication certification body and the supplier's declaration route.
• SRRC Requirements for Wireless Devices in China (opens in a new tab), IB-Lenhardt AG, updated 8 April 2026. Testing in mainland China at authorised laboratories, module IDs, and a typical total of 6 to 10 weeks.
• South Korea: Radio, EMC and Telecom Approval (KC mark) (opens in a new tab), TÜV Rheinland, page checked October 2026. The KC scheme for equipment with a radio function; mandatory, no expiry, labels issued on approval.
• India: WPC Equipment Type Approval (ETA) (opens in a new tab), TÜV Rheinland, page checked October 2026. ETA is permitted on self-declaration for delicensed bands; the import licence is renewed every six months.
• Brazil: ANATEL Regulatory Changes FAQ (opens in a new tab), UL Solutions, page checked October 2026. Homologation can be granted through module approval; tests must be repeated in Brazil even for a product with a US certification.
• MIC Certification for Japan Radio Law (opens in a new tab), Element Materials Technology, page checked October 2026. Technical conformity certification under the Japan Radio Law and the role of registered certification bodies.
• Placing manufactured products on the market in Great Britain (opens in a new tab), Department for Business and Trade, GOV.UK, 17 May 2024. CE and UKCA markings for radio equipment in Great Britain.
• Global Adoption of the 6 GHz Wi-Fi Band (opens in a new tab), everything RF, page checked October 2026. A public overview of which countries have opened the 6 GHz band; allocations change, so check the regulator.