ISED Certification Testing for the Canadian Market

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) is the federal department that manages the radio spectrum under the Radiocommunication Act. Radio apparatus classed as Category I equipment must be certified before it is sold in or imported into Canada.

Certification runs in three stages. An ISED-recognized test lab measures the product against the applicable Radio Standards Specification (RSS) and writes the report. A certification body recognized by ISED (or ISED’s own Certification and Engineering Bureau) reviews the application and issues the certificate. ISED then lists the product on the Radio Equipment List (REL), and that listing is what allows it to be sold.

Category II equipment is exempt from certification but still has to meet its technical standard. Products with no radio at all fall under the Interference-Causing Equipment Standards (ICES) instead. ICES-003, for digital and IT equipment, is self-declared: the manufacturer or importer has the product tested, keeps the report and labels the product with a compliance statement. Most wireless products need both sides, the RSS for the transmitter and ICES-003 for everything around it.

Some of the other standards we test to include RSS-213, RSS-310 and the wider licensed RSS series. Our testing is accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 by A2LA, with the details on our accreditations page. For how the ICES emissions measurements run, see radiated emission testing.

1. Scope and test plan. We identify the RSS and ICES standards, the operating modes and channels, and combine the plan with your FCC testing if the US is also a target.
2. Pre-scan, if you want one. An optional EMC pre-scan shows where the design sits against the limits. Our engineers debug with you at the bench.
3. Testing in our ISED-recognized lab. Formal testing under CAB identifier CA0102 in our ISO/IEC 17025 accredited lab, with a report in the format ISED and the certification body expect.
4. Certification application. We coordinate the application to a certification body through our certification partner, with your test report and technical documentation.
5. Certificate and REL listing. The certification body issues the certificate, ISED reviews it and the product appears on the Radio Equipment List.
6. Labeling. The IC number, HVIN and any ICES-003 statement go on the production label, matching what was certified.

Certified radio apparatus carries its ISED certification number, written as “IC:” followed by the company number (CN) and the unique product number (UPN). ISED assigns the company number, and the applicant chooses the UPN. The label also carries the product’s hardware version identification number (HVIN). The product marketing name (PMN) goes on the label, the packaging or the manual, and the IC number, HVIN and PMN must all match the Radio Equipment List.

Products with an integral display can show the label electronically, as long as the packaging still carries a physical label. A host built around a certified module carries the module’s number, typically as “Contains IC:” followed by the module’s certification number.

Digital apparatus under ICES-003 carries a compliance label such as “CAN ICES(B)/NMB(B)”, with A or B matching the class it was tested to. The older “CAN ICES-003(B)/NMB-003(B)” form is still accepted.

No. An FCC grant does not authorize sale in Canada, and an ISED certificate does not authorize sale in the US. Each country needs its own approval.

The testing overlaps heavily, though. RSS-247 and RSS-Gen measure much the same parameters as FCC Part 15C, and ICES-003 covers the same digital emissions as Part 15B. Because our lab is recognized by both ISED and the FCC, we plan one campaign against both sets of limits and write a report for each regulator. That is the practical answer to “which lab can do both FCC and ISED certification testing”. The US side is covered on our FCC certification page.

If your product is built on a radio module that already holds ISED certification, and you use the module unchanged and within the conditions of its certificate, you usually do not need a full radio re-test. The finished product needs ICES-003 testing for its own digital circuitry, plus a short set of radio checks with the module installed. If the host is mains powered, the ICES-003 work includes AC conducted emissions as well as radiated. Handheld and wearable products usually need their own certification, and every host has to meet Canada’s RF exposure rules, so tell us how the product is used.

Send us the module’s IC number with your quote request and we will confirm which case you are in.

• ISED recognized testing laboratory, CAB identifier CA0102
• FCC recognized test lab, designation number CA0102
• Radio measurements from 9 kHz to 40 GHz
• 10 m semi-anechoic chamber for radiated measurements
• Emissions testing to ICES-001, ICES-002, ICES-003 and ICES-005

A Canadian lab recognized by ISED and the FCC. We test in our lab in Aurora, Ontario under CAB identifier CA0102, and the same lab is FCC recognized. One campaign, one set of samples and one engineering contact cover both countries.

Radio, EMC and safety in one lab. Radio testing to the RSS, EMC emissions to ICES-003 and the other ICES standards, and product safety testing to standards such as IEC 62368-1 all run under one roof, along with environmental testing.

Module guidance that avoids re-testing. We read your module’s certificate before we quote, and when ICES-003 and radio spot checks in the host are all the product needs, that is what we quote.

Engineers who debug on the spot. A marginal result gets worked through at the bench with you. We respond to quote requests within 24 hours.

• Product type, dimensions and weight
• Radio technologies, frequency bands and maximum output power
• Antenna type and gain
• Module make, model and IC number, if pre-certified
• Power source: mains, battery or DC. Mains-powered products also need AC conducted emissions
• Operating modes, and the cables and ports connected in normal use
• Whether a US (FCC) filing is also planned
• Samples, and whether you can supply one with a temporary RF port
• Whether you want a pre-scan first

For the certification application, have documents such as a block diagram, schematics, internal and external photos, the user manual, an operational description and a label drawing ready. Every application also includes an RF exposure exhibit, and applicants without a Canadian address name a Canadian representative on the application.

Send us the details and we will confirm the requirement and quote it.