Telecom - Euro

European Radio and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment
(R&TTE) Directive

The R&TTE Directive covers radio and telecommunication terminal Equipment for placing on the Market or putting into service in the EU.

The R&TTE Directive is divided into 3 “essential requirements” sections, under article 3.

Subsection 3.1(a) covers protection of Health and Safety (73/23/EEC). Applicable Standards are reviewed under the EMC Section of this Website. Section 3.1(b) covers protection requirements for electromagnetic compatibility (89/336/EEC, 2004/108/EC). Applicable Standards are reviewed under the Product Safety Section of this Website.

Subsection 3.2 covers effective use of the Radio Spectrum.

Applicable Standards for Section 3.2 include, but are not limited to:

ETSI EN 300 220-1: Short Range Devices: 25MHz to 1000 MHz with Power Levels ranging up to 500 mW
ETSI EN 300 330-1: Short Range Devices: 9 kHz to 30MHz and inductive Loop Systems in the frequency Range 9kHz to 30 MHz
ETSI EN 301 441 : Satellite Earth Systems (SES): Mobile Earth Stations (MESs) for Satellite Personal Communications Networks (S-PCN) in the 1.6/2.4 GHz bands under the Mobile Satellite Service (MSS)
ETSI EN 300 328: Wideband Transmission Systems: Data Transmission equipment operating in the 2.4 GHz ISM band and using Wide Band Modulation Techniques (FHSS, DSSS, etc)

US Tech can test and supply reports for declaring products to these and many other Radio products. Please contact 770-740-0717 with questions or for a proposal.

Telecom Testing to TBR21/CTR21 (European Telecom Requirements)

U.S. Technologies provides testing services for terminal compliance to the TBR 21/CTR 21 requirements for clients who intend to export products to Europe.

What is TBR 21 and CTR 21?

TBR 21 is the Technical Basis for Regulation (TBR) produced by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) in response to a European Commission (EC) mandate to harmonize standards within the European Community for telecommunications terminal equipment intended for connection to the Public Telephone Switched Network (PSTN).

CTR 21 is the regulatory mandate for terminal equipment attaching to the PSTN to conform to TBR 21 and is voted upon, then adopted by the national governing bodies of the EC members.

Comparison of TBR 21 requirements to those for
FCC Part 68 and TIA-968

Though many requirements are similar, the limits are, in most cases, slightly different (for example signal power limits are more strict). Additionally, where TIA-968 focuses solely on preventing terminal equipment from harming the PSTN, TBR 21 does that but also establishes requirements for minimum functional performance, for example: ringer sensitivity, DTMF frequency and inter digit timings. TBR21 does not require terminal equipment to survive the environment electrical surges required by TIA-968. Also, ETSI has established a technical requirement for Hearing Aid Compatibility (HAC) of devices with handset and headset, although they are not a part of TBR 21 nor are they regulated under CTR 21 as they are under FCC Part 68.

The Status of Harmonization under CTR 21

Most European countries have adopted CTR 21 as their only national requirement for attaching terminal equipment to their PSTN. Depending on the country to which you export your product, Declaring Parties may need to meet additional requirements and/or testing before it can be connected to the PSTN. In some countries, these additional requirements apply only to products that use dial pulse address signaling. In other countries, limitations on sending levels are more stringent due to the lack of gain control within the PSTN network and the potential harm to specific functions of the network if the sending levels exceed these limitations. Such additional limitations are identified in advisories specified in ETSI EG 201 121 and should be consulted before exporting to countries to which the advisories apply.

Click here for a summary of country-specific requirements to comply with CTR 21.

Declaration of Conformity(DoC) under CTR 21

The Declaring Party
The party declaring conformity to the essential requirements of the Radio and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment (R&TTE) Directive must be the manufacturer or an authorized representative of the manufacturer such as an importer, distributor or, in the case of an assembler making modifications that affect compliance, the assembler. If an authorized representative is declaring conformity, the representative must be explicitly designated as such through a written mandate from the manufacturer (e.g. a contract). The representative must be given authorization such that they may be addressed by the Member States, instead of the manufacturer, with regard to obligations under the Directive. The representative ensures that a contact with the manufacturer can be established in the event it becomes necessary.

The Written Declaration of Conformity
A written Declaration of Conformity (DoC) stating that the product complies to the essential requirements of the Directive must be drawn up and should be supplied in two forms. The R&TTE Directive requires that a formal written DoC, in the original language, be directly or indirectly available to the user (e.g. through a web site). An informal DoC, in the language of the region where the product is sold and for which it is intended, must be supplied with each product along with the user information. Content of the formal and informal DoCs are described below.

The Formal Declaration of Conformity should conform to EN 45014 and contain, at a minimum:

The name and address of the manufacturer and, if applicable, that of its authorized representative (contact information)
The identification of the product subject to the declaration (name, type or model numbers, and any relevant supplementary information);
The referenced standards or other specifications documents in a precise, complete and clearly defined way;
An explicit statement that the product is in conformity to all applicable essential requirements of all applicable directives;
The date of issue;
Signature and title or an equivalent marking of an authorized person;
The statement that the declaration is issued under the sole responsibility of the manufacturer and, if applicable, his authorized representative.

In addition, it is advisable to reference within the DoC, a conformity procedure and the name and address of the person within the European Community who keeps technical documentation pertaining to the product. Declaring Parties may opt to ship a copy of the formal DoC with each unit exported to the European Community. Otherwise, at a minimum, an "informal DoC" must accompany each exported product, with a formal DoC readily available to the user.

The informal Declaration of Conformity should appear in the user's manual or other document joined to the product and should contain a statement equivalent to:

"(Declaring Party) declares that the (model name) complies with the essential requirements and other relevant provisions of Directive 1999/5/EC."

Either the formal DoC or the informal DoC shipped with each unit must be translated into the official language of the country of use by the Declaring Party or its representative within the European Community.

The DoC may merge multiple declarations into a common document, for example, compliance to terminal equipment, EMC, and safety requirements may be declared in a single DoC document. The formal DoC, if not joined to each product, must be accessible through a web site and allowed to be retrieved without cost to the public. The DoC must be kept for at least ten years from the last date of manufacture of the product and be made available to surveillance authorities upon request.

For additional information on the Declaration of Conformity process, consult the European Commission publication:

"Guide to Implementation of Directives Based On the New Approach and the Global Approach" (also known as the "Blue Guide").

User Information

Manufacturers of products exported to the European Community Member States are obligated to provide necessary information for the users to properly install, maintain, and use the product for its intended purpose and such information must be prominently displayed . Where the installation of the product may have an impact on maintaining compliance to the essential requirements, clear instructions must be provided to the person responsible for the installation. "Prominently displayed" means that attention of the candidate buyer of the equipment is drawn to the fact that "additional information", such as a user's manual, is provided which gives details on the intended use and that this information should be consulted before buying or installing the equipment. Typically, a clear statement on the packaging or "boilerplate" label to this effect will suffice.

Terminal equipment manufacturers must also provide information, that sufficiently identifies the applicable interface of the public telecommunications network to which the equipment is intended to be connected. For example, if the product is of a terminal equipment class, that is intended to be connected to a PSTN single-line analogue interface. The user information should state the equipment should only be connected to this type of interface and no other. Where applicable, the information should also state which features or options of the interface are compatible or not compatible with the product.

The following statements are required to appear in user documentation as directed by Annex II of 98/482/EC:

The equipment has been approved in accordance with Council Decision 98/482/EC for pan-European single terminal connection to the public switched telephone network (PSTN). However, due to differences between the individual PSTNs provided in different countries, the approval does not, of itself, give an unconditional assurance of successful operation on every PSTN network termination point. In the event of problems, you should contact your equipment supplier in the first instance.

Product Markings

According to Directive 1999/5/EC on Radio and Terminal Equipment, product markings shall conform to Article 12 of the Directive. Therefore, each unit exported to the European Community (EC) should be "identified by the manufacturer by means of type, batch and/or serial numbers and by the name of the manufacturer or the person responsible for placing the apparatus on the market". Though the Declaring Party has the obligation to identify each unit, it is not obliged to put its brand name on them. If in consultation and contractual agreement with a person responsible for placing the equipment on an EC market, the Declaring Party may apply the reseller's brand name on the product. The responsibility for conformity, however, remains with the Declaring Party. The information contained within the marking must make a clear link to the Declaration of Conformity of the product. In other words, if the written Declaration of Conformity is drawn up by the Declaring Party, then their name must appear on the label; or, if the DoC is made by the reseller, the reseller's name should appear on the label and the reseller must be able to give information on the product and the manufacturer.

To indicate that a product is in conformity with all provisions of the Directive, the CE marking should be applied to each unit exported. This includes not only the provisions to comply with the Common Technical Regulation CTR 21, which invokes the TBR 21 standard, but to all other applicable provisions including EMC, safety, etc. The CE conformity marking must consist of the initials "CE" in the usable known layout. If the CE marking is reduced or enlarged, the proportions must be respected. The CE marking must have a height of at least 5mm except where this is not possible on account of the nature of the apparatus. The CE marking must be affixed to the product or to its data plate. Additionally, it must be affixed to the packaging, if any, and to the accompanying documents. The CE marking must be affixed visibly, legibly, and indelible." The term "visible" means the CE marking must be easily accessible by market surveillance authorities. It must be visible for distributors, users and consumers. The term "indelible" means that the CE marking must not be removed from the product without leaving traces noticeable under normal conditions, however, the CE marking is not required to be an integral part of the product. If the product is submitted to a "Notified Body" under the procedures specified in Annex III, IV, or V of the Directive, the identification of the Notified Body must appear along with the CE marking. Otherwise, for terminal equipment which is not also radio equipment, additional marking is not required.


Privacy Statement Legal Disclaimer	Telecom - Euro European Radio and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment (R&TTE) Directive The R&TTE Directive covers radio and telecommunication terminal Equipment for placing on the Market or putting into service in the EU. The R&TTE Directive is divided into 3 “essential requirements” sections, under article 3. Subsection 3.1(a) covers protection of Health and Safety (73/23/EEC). Applicable Standards are reviewed under the EMC Section of this Website. Section 3.1(b) covers protection requirements for electromagnetic compatibility (89/336/EEC, 2004/108/EC). Applicable Standards are reviewed under the Product Safety Section of this Website. Subsection 3.2 covers effective use of the Radio Spectrum. Applicable Standards for Section 3.2 include, but are not limited to: ETSI EN 300 220-1: Short Range Devices: 25MHz to 1000 MHz with Power Levels ranging up to 500 mW ETSI EN 300 330-1: Short Range Devices: 9 kHz to 30MHz and inductive Loop Systems in the frequency Range 9kHz to 30 MHz ETSI EN 301 441 : Satellite Earth Systems (SES): Mobile Earth Stations (MESs) for Satellite Personal Communications Networks (S-PCN) in the 1.6/2.4 GHz bands under the Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) ETSI EN 300 328: Wideband Transmission Systems: Data Transmission equipment operating in the 2.4 GHz ISM band and using Wide Band Modulation Techniques (FHSS, DSSS, etc) US Tech can test and supply reports for declaring products to these and many other Radio products. Please contact 770-740-0717 with questions or for a proposal. Telecom Testing to TBR21/CTR21 (European Telecom Requirements) U.S. Technologies provides testing services for terminal compliance to the TBR 21/CTR 21 requirements for clients who intend to export products to Europe. What is TBR 21 and CTR 21? TBR 21 is the Technical Basis for Regulation (TBR) produced by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) in response to a European Commission (EC) mandate to harmonize standards within the European Community for telecommunications terminal equipment intended for connection to the Public Telephone Switched Network (PSTN). CTR 21 is the regulatory mandate for terminal equipment attaching to the PSTN to conform to TBR 21 and is voted upon, then adopted by the national governing bodies of the EC members. Comparison of TBR 21 requirements to those for FCC Part 68 and TIA-968 Though many requirements are similar, the limits are, in most cases, slightly different (for example signal power limits are more strict). Additionally, where TIA-968 focuses solely on preventing terminal equipment from harming the PSTN, TBR 21 does that but also establishes requirements for minimum functional performance, for example: ringer sensitivity, DTMF frequency and inter digit timings. TBR21 does not require terminal equipment to survive the environment electrical surges required by TIA-968. Also, ETSI has established a technical requirement for Hearing Aid Compatibility (HAC) of devices with handset and headset, although they are not a part of TBR 21 nor are they regulated under CTR 21 as they are under FCC Part 68. The Status of Harmonization under CTR 21 Most European countries have adopted CTR 21 as their only national requirement for attaching terminal equipment to their PSTN. Depending on the country to which you export your product, Declaring Parties may need to meet additional requirements and/or testing before it can be connected to the PSTN. In some countries, these additional requirements apply only to products that use dial pulse address signaling. In other countries, limitations on sending levels are more stringent due to the lack of gain control within the PSTN network and the potential harm to specific functions of the network if the sending levels exceed these limitations. Such additional limitations are identified in advisories specified in ETSI EG 201 121 and should be consulted before exporting to countries to which the advisories apply. Click here for a summary of country-specific requirements to comply with CTR 21. Declaration of Conformity(DoC) under CTR 21 The Declaring Party The party declaring conformity to the essential requirements of the Radio and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment (R&TTE) Directive must be the manufacturer or an authorized representative of the manufacturer such as an importer, distributor or, in the case of an assembler making modifications that affect compliance, the assembler. If an authorized representative is declaring conformity, the representative must be explicitly designated as such through a written mandate from the manufacturer (e.g. a contract). The representative must be given authorization such that they may be addressed by the Member States, instead of the manufacturer, with regard to obligations under the Directive. The representative ensures that a contact with the manufacturer can be established in the event it becomes necessary. The Written Declaration of Conformity A written Declaration of Conformity (DoC) stating that the product complies to the essential requirements of the Directive must be drawn up and should be supplied in two forms. The R&TTE Directive requires that a formal written DoC, in the original language, be directly or indirectly available to the user (e.g. through a web site). An informal DoC, in the language of the region where the product is sold and for which it is intended, must be supplied with each product along with the user information. Content of the formal and informal DoCs are described below. The Formal Declaration of Conformity should conform to EN 45014 and contain, at a minimum: The name and address of the manufacturer and, if applicable, that of its authorized representative (contact information) The identification of the product subject to the declaration (name, type or model numbers, and any relevant supplementary information); The referenced standards or other specifications documents in a precise, complete and clearly defined way; An explicit statement that the product is in conformity to all applicable essential requirements of all applicable directives; The date of issue; Signature and title or an equivalent marking of an authorized person; The statement that the declaration is issued under the sole responsibility of the manufacturer and, if applicable, his authorized representative. In addition, it is advisable to reference within the DoC, a conformity procedure and the name and address of the person within the European Community who keeps technical documentation pertaining to the product. Declaring Parties may opt to ship a copy of the formal DoC with each unit exported to the European Community. Otherwise, at a minimum, an "informal DoC" must accompany each exported product, with a formal DoC readily available to the user. The informal Declaration of Conformity should appear in the user's manual or other document joined to the product and should contain a statement equivalent to: "(Declaring Party) declares that the (model name) complies with the essential requirements and other relevant provisions of Directive 1999/5/EC." Either the formal DoC or the informal DoC shipped with each unit must be translated into the official language of the country of use by the Declaring Party or its representative within the European Community. The DoC may merge multiple declarations into a common document, for example, compliance to terminal equipment, EMC, and safety requirements may be declared in a single DoC document. The formal DoC, if not joined to each product, must be accessible through a web site and allowed to be retrieved without cost to the public. The DoC must be kept for at least ten years from the last date of manufacture of the product and be made available to surveillance authorities upon request. For additional information on the Declaration of Conformity process, consult the European Commission publication: "Guide to Implementation of Directives Based On the New Approach and the Global Approach" (also known as the "Blue Guide"). User Information Manufacturers of products exported to the European Community Member States are obligated to provide necessary information for the users to properly install, maintain, and use the product for its intended purpose and such information must be prominently displayed . Where the installation of the product may have an impact on maintaining compliance to the essential requirements, clear instructions must be provided to the person responsible for the installation. "Prominently displayed" means that attention of the candidate buyer of the equipment is drawn to the fact that "additional information", such as a user's manual, is provided which gives details on the intended use and that this information should be consulted before buying or installing the equipment. Typically, a clear statement on the packaging or "boilerplate" label to this effect will suffice. Terminal equipment manufacturers must also provide information, that sufficiently identifies the applicable interface of the public telecommunications network to which the equipment is intended to be connected. For example, if the product is of a terminal equipment class, that is intended to be connected to a PSTN single-line analogue interface. The user information should state the equipment should only be connected to this type of interface and no other. Where applicable, the information should also state which features or options of the interface are compatible or not compatible with the product. The following statements are required to appear in user documentation as directed by Annex II of 98/482/EC: The equipment has been approved in accordance with Council Decision 98/482/EC for pan-European single terminal connection to the public switched telephone network (PSTN). However, due to differences between the individual PSTNs provided in different countries, the approval does not, of itself, give an unconditional assurance of successful operation on every PSTN network termination point. In the event of problems, you should contact your equipment supplier in the first instance. Product Markings According to Directive 1999/5/EC on Radio and Terminal Equipment, product markings shall conform to Article 12 of the Directive. Therefore, each unit exported to the European Community (EC) should be "identified by the manufacturer by means of type, batch and/or serial numbers and by the name of the manufacturer or the person responsible for placing the apparatus on the market". Though the Declaring Party has the obligation to identify each unit, it is not obliged to put its brand name on them. If in consultation and contractual agreement with a person responsible for placing the equipment on an EC market, the Declaring Party may apply the reseller's brand name on the product. The responsibility for conformity, however, remains with the Declaring Party. The information contained within the marking must make a clear link to the Declaration of Conformity of the product. In other words, if the written Declaration of Conformity is drawn up by the Declaring Party, then their name must appear on the label; or, if the DoC is made by the reseller, the reseller's name should appear on the label and the reseller must be able to give information on the product and the manufacturer. To indicate that a product is in conformity with all provisions of the Directive, the CE marking should be applied to each unit exported. This includes not only the provisions to comply with the Common Technical Regulation CTR 21, which invokes the TBR 21 standard, but to all other applicable provisions including EMC, safety, etc. The CE conformity marking must consist of the initials "CE" in the usable known layout. If the CE marking is reduced or enlarged, the proportions must be respected. The CE marking must have a height of at least 5mm except where this is not possible on account of the nature of the apparatus. The CE marking must be affixed to the product or to its data plate. Additionally, it must be affixed to the packaging, if any, and to the accompanying documents. The CE marking must be affixed visibly, legibly, and indelible." The term "visible" means the CE marking must be easily accessible by market surveillance authorities. It must be visible for distributors, users and consumers. The term "indelible" means that the CE marking must not be removed from the product without leaving traces noticeable under normal conditions, however, the CE marking is not required to be an integral part of the product. If the product is submitted to a "Notified Body" under the procedures specified in Annex III, IV, or V of the Directive, the identification of the Notified Body must appear along with the CE marking. Otherwise, for terminal equipment which is not also radio equipment, additional marking is not required.

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