EMC Stan­dard­i­s­a­tion

All types of electrical and electronic products (devices), including radio equipment, have to be manufactured according to certain standards so as not to interfere with or be adversely affected by other equipment when operated in common electromagnetic environments such as residential, commercial or industrial; this is an essential requirement under the Electromagnetic Compatibility of Equipment Act (EMVG) and the Radio Equipment and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment Act (FTEG). European EMC standards (ENs) in particular, but also globally applicable IEC standards help to ensure the required level of compatibility in an electromagnetic environment.

Under section 13(2) para 6 of the Electromagnetic Compatibility of Equipment Act, the Bundesnetzagentur actively contributes to defining standards to ensure compliance with the protection requirements for radio and wire-based communication services and the effective use of radio frequencies. Under Article 45(3) of the Constitution of the International Telecommunication Union (Federal Law Gazette 2001 II page 1121) the Federal Republic of Germany, being a Member State, is required to prevent the operation of electrical equipment and installations from causing harmful interference to duly operating radio services.

This applies to a wide range of equipment, but mainly affects the following sectors:

• power electronics,
• consumer electronics,
• cable television networks,
• multimedia equipment,
• household appliances and electric power tools,
• lighting equipment,
• electric motor vehicles and trains, and
• radio equipment.

The Bundesnetzagentur actively contributes to defining standards for electromagnetic compatibility at various levels:

• international (IEC/CISPR),
• European (ETSI ERM WG EMC, CENELEC TC 209 and TC 210) and
• national (DIN/DKE K.735 and K.767).

In addition, the Bundesnetzagentur conducts fundamental studies on possible interference scenarios between radio and other electrical and electronic equipment or wire-based communication networks. If necessary, the Bundesnetzagentur initiates and monitors such studies in the standardisation bodies, but it also takes early action preceding standardisation within the ATRT, the Telecommunications Technical Regulation Committee advising the Bundesnetzagentur, for instance on the usage of the frequency band 790-862 MHz for mobile radio in the ATRT ESKM Project Group.

These studies are also based on the relevant technical reports and recommendations of the standardisation bodies, such as

• CISPR 16-4-4: interference and coupling models for determining permissible limits for disturbance from all types of electrical and electronic products, systems and equipment, including telecommunications networks, or
• IEC 61000-2-5: description of residential, commercial and industrial operating environments.