The Sri Lankan regulatory authority has issued “Radio and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment (RTTE) Type Approval Rules 2020” with two types of approvel schemes.

The major changes and important points of the new regulation are the following:

• All products will get approval under the new RTTE Type Approval Rules. All type approval certificates issued prior to December 16, 2020 under and the old rules will expire automatically on June 17, 2021.

There are two approval schemes under the RTTE Type Approval Rules:

• Standard Type Approval – products without prior TRC type approval
• Simplified Type Approval – products with prior TRC type approval. Certificate validity is 4 years, Labeling will now be mandatory and labels must be purchased from TRCSL,1-2 sample units are required, and permission to import sample units must be obtained by TRC in advance of shipping.

The following products are exempt:

• Short range infrared remote control equipment including TV remote controls, garage door opener, etc.
• RTTE embedded in desktop computers and Laptops that use only short-range radio technologies such as WiFi or Bluetooth
• Transmitter equipment with output power below 50 mW EIRP
• RTTE installed in vehicles as part of car navigation units, remote car keys that use short range technologies such as WiFi, Bluetooth, etc.

Due to the resurgence of COVID in Sri Lanka, there have been some precautionary changes in the type approval process. The main modifications are:

• The authority will only issue temporary, digital type approval certificates until further notice. The temporary approval can be converted to Permanent TA once the authority resumes normal business.
• Samples are not accepted until further notice, as all employees are working from home. All equipment which typically requires a sample for type approval in Sri Lanka will therefore be delayed.
• Type approval lead time will be extended.