Regulatory Compliance News

Canada Updates Regulatory Certification Requirements for Licensed Wireless Microphones and WMAS Equipment

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) officially published Radio Standards Specification RSS-123, Issue 5, updating the technical and certification requirements for licensed wireless microphones operating across designated radio frequency bands. Classified as Category I radio apparatus under Canadian spectrum regulations, equipment subject to this standard requires mandatory certification through either ISED’s Certification and Engineering Bureau or a recognized Foreign Certification Body (FCB). The updated standard modernizes Canada's wireless microphone regulations by incorporating technical criteria for high-density audio deployments, harmonizing reference standards with European Telecommunications Standards Institute publication ETSI EN 300 422-1, and refining unwanted emission parameters to safeguard adjacent spectrum operations.

A primary technical enhancement in Issue 5 is the formal integration of Wireless Multichannel Audio Systems (WMAS). Designed for complex live production, broadcasting, and theater environments, WMAS leverages digital broadband transmission techniques to multiplex multiple audio channels onto a single radio frequency channel, requiring a operational capability of transmitting at least three audio channels per megahertz. The revised standard establishes specific frequency band authorizations, digital modulation mandates, conducted and effective radiated power limits, and authorized bandwidth allocations for WMAS alongside traditional analog and digital wireless microphone systems operating across covered bands from 26.1 MHz up to 7125 MHz.

The specification also introduces updated compliance requirements for unwanted emissions, transmitter power limits, frequency stability, and user documentation. For FM transmitters operating within the 88–107.5 MHz band, manufacturers must include explicit warning statements on device labeling and user manuals instructing users that prior licensing is required before operational deployment. Following ISED’s standard implementation protocols, a mandatory transition period applies after publication. During this transitional window, certification applications under the preceding Issue 4 remain acceptable; however, once the grace period expires, all newly manufactured, imported, distributed, leased, or sold licensed wireless microphone equipment in Canada must fully comply with RSS-123, Issue 5, to secure and maintain market access.