Overview of the regulation of RTTE and key features of current approaches

1
Botswana Telecommunications Authority
Stakeholder Workshop on the Development of
Technical Specifications and Type Approval
Procedures

• Overview of the regulation of RTTE and key
  features of current approaches

2
Introduction

• Project objectives
• to establish technical criteria for the
  regulation of the supply of radio and
  telecommunications terminal equipment
• to establish the procedures to be followed in the
  regulation of the supply of radio and
  telecommunications terminal equipment
• Contract awarded to InterConnect and Business
  Online on 7th February 2005 following open
  tender procedure.
• Work started with a kick off meeting in Gaborone
  on 14th February 2005
• Work has progressed well and according to the
  agreed plan

3
Why Regulate?

• For all RTTE
• Ensure safe operation of equipment (no harm to
  user or network)
• Ensure Electromagnetic Compatibility between
  electrical devices
• Terminal Equipment
• Achieve compatibility between terminal equipment
  and the network interfaces to which they are
  intended to be connected.
• Radio Equipment
• Achieve an environment where all radio equipment
  operates with known technical parameters and so
  contribute to the avoidance of harmful
  interference (effective use of the radio spectrum)

4
What is involved?

• Technical Requirements
• Compliance how is it demonstrated?
• Procedures (pre-market)
• Labelling
• Activities (post-market)
• Fees

5
Technical Requirements - 1

• Historically national standards developed by
  national standards bodies typically extensive,
  detailed requirements
• Regional activities to harmonise requirements
  driven by desire to establish larger markets,
  bring down prices, e.g. EU
• Required cooperation of standards bodies too,
  establishment of ETSI, CENELEC, etc..
• Gradual reduction in extent and depth of testing
  focus on interface compatibility
• Telecoms market now so global that global
  standards exist, e.g. GSM, IEEE802.11 for
  wireless LANs, ISDN

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Technical Requirements - 2

• In most countries, the local technical
  requirements now reference recognised
  international standards. For example, Australia,
  Singapore, South Africa. EU is a special case,
  but effectively relies on International standards
  too.
• Scope
• Safety (of user and telecoms network)
• Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC)
• Performance (effective use of radio spectrum and
  compatibility with network interfaces)

7
Compliance how is it demonstrated?

• Again, historically, national standards required
  national testing repeat testing in each country
  where RTTE was to be supplied extensive testing
  significant expense
• Then regimes evolved where test reports against
  harmonised standards became acceptable test
  once and use the test report to demonstrate
  compliance in a number of countries
• Very latest approach is that supplier completes a
  declaration of conformity with applicable
  technical requirements.
• Manufacturer satisfies itself of compliance by
  whatever means it sees fit before signing the DoC
  
• For example Australia, EU, Singapore and USA

8
Procedures - 1

• Historically an application was submitted to
  the regulatory body in each country where a
  product was to be supplied
• Signed application forms
• Detailed technical documentation
• Test reports or, testing would be carried out by
  the authority
• Regional approvals then evolved one
  application, one approval valid in a number of
  countries, for e.g. earlier EU
• Similar paperwork requirements
• Evaluation of test reports submitted with an
  application
• In both of the above pre-market involvement of
  the regulator positive decision is required

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Procedures - 2

• Today mixture some national
  approvals/registrations and some regimes in which
  no registration of individual products is
  required
• In some cases there is no pre-market involvement
  of regulator, for example Australia and EU for
  all products and for many in USA and Singapore
• Responsible party who is liable for a product?
• Responsible party signs paperwork
• Quite common that responsible party must reside
  in the relevant jurisdiction. For example
  Australia, EU, Singapore, South Africa, USA

10
Labelling

• It is normal to have a requirement for marking
  and labelling
• But what should the requirements be?
• Marking of product can be difficult
• Marking of packaging and documentation is easier
• And what information should the label present?
• Identification of supplier?
• Supplier and product?
• In many cases also a unique approval/registration
  number
• Sometimes generic as in EU

11
Post Market Activities

• Historically approvals body relatively
  passive after approval
• Approval holder required to inform authorities of
  changes to product and so maintain approved
  status
• Regulator would take action in the case of a
  complaint
• Factory quality certification initial factory
  inspection and regular follow-up visits to ensure
  change control processes are maintained
  costly!!
• Now heightened awareness that post-market
  surveillance is fairer to all
• It deters those who seek to evade pre-market
  procedures
• Supports those who place products on the market
  legally
• Surveillance activities are possibly the single
  most effective part of a type approval regime.
  Active surveillance in Australia, EU, Singapore,
  South Africa, USA

12
Fees

• Most countries require a fee to be paid for each
  approval/registration
• Sometimes with an annual renewal fee too
• Sometimes with fees payable each time a change to
  the product is registered with the authority
• In some countries fees are paid to register as
  the responsible party. For example in the USA it
  is necessary to pay a fee in order to get an
  identity with the regulator (FCC)!
• Sometimes no fees paid at all. For example
  Australia and the EU

13
Key recommendations for Botswana

• On technical requirements these should be based
  in internationally recognised standards.
• On how compliance shall be demonstrated the
  responsible party shall sign a declaration of
  conformity.
• On procedures an application shall be submitted
  to BTA for assessment. BTA shall make a positive
  decision before the product can be placed on the
  market in Botswana.
• On responsible party there shall be a legally
  responsible party registered in Botswana.
• On labelling there shall be a BTA label.
• On post-market activities BTA shall establish an
  active surveillance regime.
• On fees BTA shall recover the costs of
  regulating the supply of RTTE through fees raised

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And the future.?

• Botswana
• approximately 1.5 million inhabitants
• GDP of approximately US15 billion
• Southern African Development Cooperation (SADC)
• Approximately 190 million inhabitants
• GDP of approximately US180 billion
• Proposed new regime for Botswana would be equally
  applicable for the SADC region would represent
  a significant market for equipment suppliers
  accessed via a single process, similar to that
  proposed for Botswana.
• Botswana currently holds the SADC Chairmanship
  is now a good time for Botswana to take the
  initiative in SADC on the harmonisation of
  telecoms regulation in the region?

15
Botswana Telecommunications Authority
Stakeholder Workshop on the Development of
Technical Specifications and Type Approval
Procedures

• RTTE Specifications for Botswana

16
Overview

• Overview of relevant standards bodies
• Identification of international standards for
  radio equipment
• Identification of international standards for
  terminal equipment

17
Standards Bodies

• ETSI European Telecommunications Standards
  Institute
• Based in France
• Officially responsible for the standardisation of
  Information and Communications Technologies (ICT)
  in Europe.
• Production of telecommunications standards
• ES ETSI Standard
• TS Technical Specification
• EN European Standard
• ETS European Telecommunications Standard
• TBR Technical Basis for Regulation
• Example EN 300 248 2,048 kbit/s digital
  unstructured leased line (D2048U) Terminal
  equipment interface

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Standards Bodies

• ITU International Telecommunications
  Organisation
• Based in Switzerland
• International organisation under the United
  Nations system
• Foster cooperation and harmonisation in
  telecommunications
• Production of Recommendations, for example
• X.21 Interface between data terminal equipment
  and data circuit-terminating equipment for
  synchronous operation on public data networks

19
Standards Bodies

• Cenelec European Committee for
  Electro-technical Standardisation
• Based in Belgium
• Focused on health and safety of consumers and
  workers
• IEC is a cooperating partner in CENELEC
• Example EN 60950 Safety of information
  technology equipment

20
Standards Bodies

• ANSI American National Standards Institute
• Based in Washington DC
• Focus on standardisation and conformity
  assessment
• Example ANSI 603 Land mobile FM or PM
  communication equipment, measurement and
  performance standard

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Identification of Radio Specifications

• Examination of Botswana National Frequency
  Allocation Table
• Identify the types of service to which
  frequencies have been allocated AND the types
  which have not
• Identify which frequencies have been allocated
• This gives an idea towhich standard is
  applicable

22
Botswana NFAT - Example

• Present
• Television Transmitters
• Analogue and Digital
• Analogue Cordless Phones (CT0)
• US frequency range
• Wireless Microphones

• Missing
• Non-Specific Short Range Devices
• 49.820 49.980 MHz

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Identifying Standards

• Where ETSI standards exist, use these
• Botswana is in ITU Region 1
• ETSI standards are free
• ETSI process is open
• Botswana can participate as an associate member
• Good relationship with other national and
  international standardisation bodies
• Where non-EU services exist, use appropriate
  standards
• US TIA PMR (Analogue and Digital)
• UK MPT 1327 (Trunked Analogue Radio)
• Short Range (Family) Radio
• South African (29 MHz)
• US (462/467 MHz)

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What if no standards exist?

• BTA shall ensure that equipment
• Is electrically safe
• Is electromagnetically compatible with other
  equipment
• Protects the telecommunication system to which it
  is connected
• Makes efficient use of the radio spectrum
• Is capable of interworking with other
  telecommunications equipment for certain key
  functions, for example, establishing a call.

25
Wired Services and their technical characteristics

• A number of meetings with BTC
• Research on the Internet (including BTC web site)
• Services identified
• Analogue PSTN
• Analogue Leased Line
• ISDN (Basic and Primary rate)
• Various High Speed Data Services (X.21/V.35,
  X.25, N64Kbit/s)
• ADSL and HDSL
• E1 hierarchy G.703 leased lines
• Compatible with ITU, ETSI standards (A-Law
  encoding, V and X series, E1 hierarchy rather
  than T1)

26
Services and their technical characteristics

• Analogue PSTN historically can have a national
  flavour
• Key issues
• Dialling
• Ringing
• Transmission
• Studied these key characteristics in BTCs
  procurement specification for Analogue PSTN
  terminals
• Identified that ETSI specification TBR21 was an
  good match compliance with TBR21 will ensure
  successful operation with BTC PSTN network

27
Radio Equipment Standards

• 31 specifications prepared
• TS0002 GSM Handsets Terminals
• TS0003 GSM Base Stations
• TS0004 Analogue PMR Handsets
• TS0005 Analogue PMR Base Stations
• TS0006 TETRA Handsets
• TS0007 TETRA Base Stations
• TS0008 Citizens Band Radio
• TS0009 Amateur Radio
• TS0010 V-SAT
• TS0011 Mobile Earth Stations (MES), Satellite
  News Gathering (SNG)
• TS0012 Fixed Earth Stations
• TS0013 Radio Broadcast MF (AM)
• TS0014 Radio Broadcast VHF (FM)
• TS0015 Radio Fixed Links
• TS0016 DECT Cordless Telephone Handsets
• TS0017 DECT Base Stations

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Radio Equipment Standards

• TS0018 Radio Microphones/In ear Monitoring
• TS0019 2.4GHz Wideband Data Transmission Systems
• TS0020 5GHz High Performance Radio LAN Equipment
• TS0021 Ground and Airborne Model Control
  Equipment
• TS0022 UMTS Base Stations
• TS0023 UMTS Handsets
• TS0038 Short Range Radio
• TS0039 Cordless Telephone (analogue) Handsets
• TS0040 Cordless Telephone (analogue) Base
  Stations
• TS0041 Detection of Movement
• TS0042 Road Transport Telematics
• TS0043 Inductive Applications
• TS0044 Non-Specific Short Range Devices
• TS0045 Wireless Local Loop, Subscriber, Base
  Station and Ancillary Equipment
• TS0046 Broadband Wireless Access, Subscriber,
  Base Station and Ancillary Equipment

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Terminal Equipment Specifications

• 14 specifications prepared
• TS0024 Analogue PSTN
• TS0025 Analogue Leased Line Services
• TS0026 ADSL and ADSL2 Services
• TS0027 2.048 Mb/s Digital Leased Line Services
• TS0028 34 Mb/s Digital Leased Line Services
• TS0029 Co-Directional G.703 Digital Leased Line
  Services
• TS0030 X.25 Packet Switched Networks
• TS0031 High Speed Serial Interfaces (HSSI -
  Frame Relay for example)
• TS0032 64 Kbit/s Services
• TS0033 X.21 Services
• TS0034 HDSL Services
• TS0035 Basic Rate ISDN Services at S/T
  Interfaces
• TS0036 Basic Rate ISDN Service at the U
  Interface
• TS0037 Primary Rate ISDN Service

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In Conclusion

• The proposed regime is in line with current
  international practices.
• The specifications developed cover both RTTE
  which are currently supplied in Botswana and
  those which can be reasonably foreseen for the
  near future
• The specifications will ensure
• the safe operation of RTTE,
• Electromagnetic compatibility, and
• Compatibility with network interfaces and the
  efficient use of the radio spectrum.

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