TRC-49 — Telecommunications and Radio Equipment Service Fees of the Certification and Engineering Bureau

TRC-49, Telecommunications and Radio Equipment Service Fees of the Certification and Engineering Bureau, provides information on the application of telecommunications and radio apparatus fees according to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada’s (ISED) regulations.

This document will be reviewed and amended from time to time to reflect necessary changes in procedural requirements. ISED encourages comments and suggestions that will enhance the effectiveness of the document. Comments may be forwarded to:

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
Engineering, Planning and Standards Branch
Director General
235 Queen Street
Ottawa ON K1A 0H5

Issued under the authority of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry

________________________________

Martin Proulx
Director General
Engineering, Planning and Standards Branch

The Certification and Engineering Bureau (the CEB), under Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), provides a number of services for which fees are charged. These services include registration and registration amendment of compliant equipment, assessment for certification purposes and reassessment for recertification purposes for the telecommunications industry. Certified radio apparatus must be recorded in the Radio Equipment List (REL) and registered terminal apparatus must be recorded in the Telecommunications Apparatus Register (TAR), which are maintained and published by ISED. The purpose of these lists is to inform the public of telecommunications and radio apparatus that comply with technical requirements established by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry.

Other services, such as consultations on apparatus designs and modifications to meet specifications and standards, which are a normal part of the services provided by private laboratories and consultants, are not provided by ISED. The procedures for obtaining certification of radio equipment are contained in RSP-100, Certification of Radio Apparatus and Broadcasting Equipment. This document outlines the process for acquiring these other services through recognized certification bodies or the CEB. ISED encourages the use of private certification bodies and testing laboratories for both certification and testing of apparatus.

The Fee Order for Telecommunications and Radio Apparatus implementing these new fees was published on July 4, 2023, pursuant to section 20 of the Department of Industry Act.

1.1 Public inquiries

Additional information on fees described herein can be obtained from:

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
Certification and Engineering Bureau
P.O. Box 11490, Station H 3701
Carling Avenue Building 94
Ottawa ON K2H 8S2

Telephone:  613-990-4218
Facsimile:  613-990-4752
Email:  certificationbureau-bureauhomologation@ised-isde.gc.ca

The relevant procedures and documents are listed below and can be found on Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada’s Spectrum management and telecommunications website.

Fees are based on the principle of recovery of departmental costs. There are four types of fees applicable in the process:

• wireless equipment (radio apparatus) certification (and full assessment)
• wireless equipment (radio apparatus) recertification (and reassessment)
• equipment registration
• equipment registration amendment

For information on the implementation of these fees, see table 1.

Applicable taxes will be charged for each of the fees charged.

3.1 Wireless equipment certification

The wireless equipment certification fee relates to the administrative costs involved in reviewing wireless certification applications, to ensure that the wireless equipment complies with the appropriate technical requirements, specifications or standards. The wireless equipment certification fee is $4,000 per application (one certification with single or multiple models) regardless of the number of standards being assessed. The wireless equipment certification fee includes a charge for the administration of the application, the technical examination, the review of the brief, the issuance of a TAC and the listing in the REL by ISED.

3.2 Wireless equipment recertification fee

Wireless equipment recertification can be provided by the CEB for services such as performing reassessment, as well as reviewing applications for multiple listings, family approval or transfer of a TAC. This fee is calculated at the rate of $160 per person-hour or part thereof. Upon request, the CEB will provide an estimate of the cost for technical support to its clients. The CEB will request full payment of the cost before service is provided. Progress payments will be required for situations where longer than normal assessment times are needed. Regarding standard wireless recertification applications, an administrative recertification (not including a test report) will be charged a minimum of two hours, whereas a technical recertification (including one or more test reports) will be charged a minimum of eight hours.

3.3 Equipment registration fees

Equipment registration fees are broken down into wireless equipment, wireline equipment and wireless/wireline (DUAL) equipment.

Wireless equipment

When new wireless equipment is certified by a Certification Body (CB), the application must be submitted for ISED review and approval, and the equipment must be recorded in the REL. The equipment registration fee of $750 is for the certification review and approval by ISED, the recording of the equipment in the REL, as well as for the development and maintenance cost of the wireless compliance program.

Wireline equipment

As part of the declaration of conformity (DoC) process for new equipment, all wireline equipment (terminal apparatus) must be registered with the CEB and recorded in the TAR. The equipment registration fee of $750 is for the DoC review and approval by ISED, the issuance of a registration letter, the development and maintenance cost of the terminal attachment program and the administration required in recording the equipment on the TAR.

Wireless/Wireline (DUAL) equipment

When new equipment containing both wireless and wireline components is being submitted to ISED with a wireless CB certification and a wireline DoC, the application must be reviewed and approved by ISED before being recorded in the REL and TAR. For DUAL applications, the equipment registration fee of $750 is for the wireless certification and wireline DoC review and approval by ISED, the recording of the equipment in the REL and TAR, as well as for the development and maintenance cost of the wireless compliance program and the terminal attachment program.

This fee applies to each new application, whether it’s a new wireless CB certification, a new wireline DoC, or a combination of both. An application can be for a single product or family of products that meets the applicable family conditions.

3.4 Equipment registration amendment fees

Equipment registration amendment fees are broken down into wireless equipment, wireline equipment and wireless/wireline (DUAL) equipment.

Wireless equipment

When previously certified wireless equipment is being amended (reassessed and recertified) by a Certification Body, the application must be submitted for ISED review and approval, and the equipment must be recorded in the REL. The equipment registration amendment fee of $375 is for the recertification review and approval by ISED, the recording of the equipment in the REL, as well as for the development and maintenance cost of the wireless compliance program.

Wireline equipment

As part of the process when submitting a subsequent declaration of conformity (DoC) for amending previously registered equipment, all wireline equipment (terminal apparatus) must be registered with the CEB and recorded in the TAR. The equipment registration amendment fee of $375 is for the review and approval by ISED of the amended DoC, the issuance of a registration letter, the development and maintenance cost of the terminal attachment program and the administration required in recording the equipment on the TAR.

Wireless/Wireline (DUAL) equipment

When previously certified and registered equipment containing both wireless and wireline components is being submitted to ISED with a wireless CB recertification and a wireline amended DoC, the application must be reviewed and approved by ISED before being recorded in the REL and TAR. For DUAL applications, the equipment registration amendment fee of $375 is for the review and approval by ISED of the wireless recertification and wireline amended DoC, the issuance of a registration letter, the recording of the equipment in the REL and TAR, as well as for the development and maintenance cost of the wireless compliance program and the terminal attachment program.

This fee applies to each application, whether it’s for a wireless CB recertification, an amendment for a wireline DoC, or a combination of both. An application can be for a single product or a family of products, under the same (previous) certification/registration number.

It should be noted that the fees outlined in this document are payable before services are rendered. For example, in most cases, the fee is payable at the time of submitting the application for certification, recertification, registration or registration amendment.

In 2017, the Government of Canada passed the Service Fees Act, which requires, among other things, that federal departments and agencies adjust their fees periodically.

For ISED’s licensees, the Service Fees Act obliges radio and spectrum licence fees, as well as fees for services provided by the Certification and Engineering Bureau, be adjusted annually based on the April All-items Consumer Price Index published yearly by Statistics Canada.

Table 1 below must be used in conjunction with the updated fee amounts found on the Spectrum and telecommunications fees web page to appropriately determine current fees charged for the service(s) requested.

Table 1: Fee scenarios