Definition of Terms

The following terms, used on this site, have the following definitions:

Definitions
BABT British Approvals Board for Telecommunications The agency originally tasked with certifying telecommunications terminal equipment. BABT were privatised and are now owned by the test laboratory TÜV.
CE Conformité Européen The European Mark of Conformance in its circular form, complying with the CE Marking Directive 93/68/EEC
CEN Comité Européen de Normalisation  European Committee for Standardisation
CENELEC Comité Européen de Normalisation Electro-technique  European Committee for Electro-Technical Standardisation
DOC Declaration of Conformity

 The DOC is the document that states that the piece of marketable equipment satisfies all the requirements required by the Directives applicable to it. It must contain the following information:

  • A description of the apparatus to which it refers.
  • Reference to the specifications under which conformity is declared and, where appropriate, to the national measures implemented to ensure the conformity of the apparatus with the provisions of the Directive.
  • Identification of the signatory empowered to bind the manufacturer or his authorised representative.
  • Where appropriate, reference to the EC type-examination certificate issued by a Notified Body.
DTI Department of Trade and Industry A Government department, formerly the Board of Trade, which is working to create the conditions for business success and help the UK respond to the challenge of globalisation.
EMC Electromagnetic Compatibility The ability of a device, unit of equipment or system to function satisfactorily in its electromagnetic environment without introducing intolerable electromagnetic disturbances to anything in that environment.
ETSI European Telecommunications Standards Institute  European body responsible for the generation of standards for the telecommunications industry and mandated by the EU Commission to produce harmonised standards for the EU Directives.
EU European Union

Defines a group of 25 countries that implement the EU Directives in their national regulations. The EU comprises Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey may join the EU.

EU Directives are also implemented by Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.
FCC  Federal Communications Commission The US Federal agency charged with all aspects of communications within the USA. Similar in function to Ofcom and owners of Title 47 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
OJ Official Journal of the European Communities The OJ is the official publication of the EU Commission and is published daily. Directives come into force on the day of publication in the OJ. Also published are communications from the Commission and such information a lists of harmonised standards, Notified Bodies etc.
RA Radiocommunication Agency The Government department originally charged with administering all aspects of the radio spectrum including licensing and radio type approval testing. The RA are now part of Ofcom, the Office of Communications.
SAR Specific Absorption Rate The time derivative of the incremental electromagnetic energy (dW) absorbed by (dissipated in) an incremental mass (dm) contained in a volume element (dV) of a given mass density (r). The SAR is expressed in units of watts per kilogram (W/kg).
SLIM Simpler Legislation for the Internal Market  A process introduced by the EU Commission to simplify and speed up the legislative process which will span several years and result in the replacement of a considerable amount of the current EU legislation.
TCF Technical Construction File

The TCF is a file describing the apparatus and providing information and explanations as to how the applicable essential requirements have been implemented. It is required as a means for demonstrating conformity to the EMC Directive 89/336/EEC (as amended), Article 10.2 and Article 10(5)/Annex IV of the R&TE Directive.

The suggested minimum contents for a TCF are:

Part I: Description of the apparatus

  1. Identification of the apparatus
  2. A technical description

Part II: Procedure used to ensure conformity of the apparatus to the protection requirements.

  1. A technical rationale
  2. Details of significant design elements
  3. Test evidence where appropriate

Part III: A report or certificate from a Competent Body
UMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunication System UMTS represents the next generation of mobile digital communications using the W-CDMA technology. It operates in the band 2110 to 2170MHz and supports mobile telephone, videophone and, in particular, high speed data transfer for Internet access or streaming video, for example.
UKAS United Kingdom Accreditation Service The United Kingdom Accreditation Service is the sole national accreditation body recognised by government to assess, against internationally agreed standards, organisations that provide certification, testing, inspection and calibration services.
W-CDMA Wideband Code Division Multiple Access WCDMA is a technology using spread spectrum encoding to enable a radio link to support a number of simultaneous users without interference betweeen them. In the context of the EU Directives, it is primarily utilised by the third generation (3G) mobile telephone service UMTS.
!*#!# Legal Term The contents of a document have unexpectedly changed to the detriment of the Client.

Page last updated: 28 October 2007 05:44:09