Conformity of radio equipment and placing on the market | Traficom
Skip to main content
Transport and Communications Agency

Conformity of radio equipment and placing on the market

It is important for radio equipment to operate on the frequencies allocated to it. The number of radio equipment is constantly growing, but the number of frequencies available is limited. To ensure that items of radio equipment do not cause interference to each other, the equipment must meet the applicable requirements set in the EU. Only radio equipment that complies with these rules may be sold in the EU.

The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom supervises the conformity of radio equipment. The purpose of this surveillance is to prevent radio interference and ensure that only interference-free and appropriately functioning equipment are available to users.

Placing on the market means the first making available of radio equipment on the EU market. In practice, this means that a product has been imported from a third country and placed on the EU market or that a product has been dispatched from a manufacturing location in the EU to the distribution chain. Placing on the market is examined separately for each individual piece of equipment.

Manufacturers must ensure the conformity of radio equipment before placing the equipment on the market. All radio equipment sold in the EU is covered by the EU Radio Equipment Directive (RED) 2014/53/EU. It contains requirements on the technical features and markings of equipment and the related documentation. Compliant radio equipment meets the requirements laid down in the  Radio Equipment Directive and can move freely throughout the EU.

Process of placing radio equipment on the market:

The manufacturer is responsible for finding out which pieces of legislation apply to the equipment in question in the EU. Radio equipment are subject to the provisions of the Radio Equipment Directive RED 2014/53/EU, for example. Read more about the applicable legislation here.

Check the legislation for detailed requirements that the equipment must meet. 

Article 17 of the EU Radio Equipment Directive (RED) 2014/53/EU sets out the ways in which manufacturers can ensure that radio equipment meets the essential requirements applied to it. If the manufacturer does not carry out the conformity assessment by itself, it may have a notified body perform the assessment.  

Ensure that the radio equipment meets the relevant requirements.

Ensure that all technical documents have been drawn up and keep them available.

The EU declaration of conformity (DoC) is a document drafted by the manufacturer stating the conformity of the equipment, in other words, that the equipment meets the requirements of the Radio Equipment Directive. Each piece of equipment must be accompanied by either the full text or a simplified version of the EU DoC. 
 

CE marking is the manufacturer's declaration that the equipment meets the essential requirements of the Radio Equipment Directive. The marking must be affixed on the equipment and its packaging. Manufacturers are responsible for affixing the CE marking. Authorities or other official bodies do not award CE markings.

Please note that this page has not been updated with the requirements on the so-called common charger; as a rule, they will be applied starting from 28 December 2024. You can find more information about them at the link: Current information on the conformity of radio equipment

Page was last updated