Particular equipment

It is important to know that all radiocommunications equipment in motor vehicles must fulfil the legal requirements applicable in Switzerland, regardless of whether the equipment was installed as original or retrofitted.

It is more than thirty years since radio microphones first appeared. Today they are in very widespread use in the audiovisual sector, as well as for conferences, public debates and concerts etc. Radio microphones give speakers and performers great freedom of movement. Generally low-power, they use different frequency bands. The use of such equipment is subject to the regulations on telecommunications.

Since 1 January 2018, the importation and the possession of a jammer have been strictly prohibited in Switzerland as in the countries of the European Union. The rules applicable to these devices, also known as “blockers”, have therefore been made stricter, since previously the ban related solely to placing them on the market and using them. Because these jammers in particular prevent all communication by mobile telephone, they can represent a danger, since emergency calls are rendered impossible. Most of the time, advertising for this kind of device is misleading: it implies that their use is legal and takes care not to indicate that even their possession is illegal.

Radio equipment operated by authorities to safeguard public security but which cannot meet standard conformity and frequency requirements – referred to as “special electronics” by the authorities – is used, for example, by prosecution and law enforcement agencies for specific radiocommunications, signal blocking and radio telecommunications surveillance activities. Such radio equipment may only be operated by certain designated authorities. The information here is intended for manufacturers of “special electronics”, for importers, distributors as well as for the concerned authorities.

WLAN is the abbreviation of wireless local area network, also called RLAN which is the abbreviation of radio local area network. This system allows an extension of the local area computer network without the need of cable (e.g. wireless internet access in airports with laptops).

Overview in relation to non-ionising radiation NIR

PMR 446 radio equipment is intended to be used on collective frequencies shared by multiple users without coordination. The PMR 446 band, harmonised throughout Europe, meets these criteria and its use is not subject to licensing. There is a wide range of "PMR 446" equipment on the market which is intended exclusively to use the PMR 446 frequency band.

Weak mobile phone reception at home or in business can make life difficult for us – so the use of a repeater might seem obvious. While these devices can amplify mobile phone signals, they can also interfere. Therefore, several requirements must be met before using repeaters.