Priorities for checks on radiocommunications equipment
OFCOM focuses its market surveillance on problematic areas. In this way it makes efficient use of its resources, which do not extend to checking all the radiocommunications equipment available on the market.
For its activities in relation to checking radiocommunications equipment, OFCOM acts in a targeted manner, mainly to ensure protection of the radio spectrum and respect for fair competition in the market. It lays down general priorities for action on the one hand, and annual priorities for checks on the other. It can adapt its actions during the course of the year according to the market situation.
In relation to radiocommunications equipment, OFCOM has identified several areas of intervention:
- equipment which causes interference, in particular jammers;
- denunciations (authorities and private players in the market);
- equipment which has been declared not in conformity following checks (including the safeguard clauses originating from the European Union authorities) and which is prohibited from sale;
- equipment in a risk category, either because it has already caused interference or is likely to do so because of its technical characteristics or because the frequencies used are not available in Switzerland for this application (negative responses to notification);
- other equipment suspected of not complying with the regulations in force.
In 2018, checks concern equipment with a high rate of non-conformity (proven or potential). The priorities remain the same as in the previous year, since the proportion of non-conformity of the equipment checked still exceeded 50% at that time.
List of the priority equipment categories:
This list is not exhaustive. Spot checks in other areas are carried out during the year, depending on the situation in the market.
Alongside these priorities, OFCOM's checks also concern the players in the market according to the following order of importance:
- manufacturers and importers
- wholesalers and distribution centres
- specialised resellers
- other resellers.
