Regulatory Compliance News

Thailand NBTC Mandates Electrical Safety Reports for Bluetooth and 2.4/5 GHz Devices

The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) of Thailand has clarified a major shift in the enforcement of technical standard NBTC TS 1035-2562. Moving forward, all radiocommunication equipment operating in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands—specifically including Bluetooth, Zigbee, and other Short-Range Devices (SRDs)—will be required to provide an electrical safety test report to obtain a Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity (SDoC).

This regulatory change stems from a re-interpretation of the current standard. While the previous version (NTC TS 1012-2551) was primarily focused on Radio Local Area Network (RLAN) equipment like Wi-Fi, the updated NBTC TS 1035-2562 broadens the scope to cover any equipment utilizing these frequencies. NBTC has acknowledged that Bluetooth and similar technologies were previously waived from safety testing due to a narrower interpretation, but they will now be held to the same safety benchmarks as other 2.4/5 GHz hardware.

For manufacturers, the mandatory implementation date is set for February 1, 2026. Any SDoC applications issued on or after this date must include valid electrical safety documentation, such as test reports for IEC/EN 62368-1, IEC/EN 60950-1, or equivalent LVD standards. To ensure a smooth transition, the NBTC is offering a grace period until January 31, 2026, during which SDoC filings for Bluetooth-only devices may still be processed without the additional safety documentation.