What Products Require Anatel Homologation in Brazil?

The list of telecommunication equipment required to undergo homologation in Brazil is very specific, to the point where players in this industry should be looking closely at the categories and requirements their products fit in.

In this article we will highlight the criteria for homologation by Anatel and which products are and are not required to be submitted to this process.

Telecommunication Products Homologation

Most telecommunication products require homologation by the Brazilian Telecommunications Agency, or Anatel, to be commercialized, or even utilized, in Brazil. This means that these products must adapt to a series of requirements and endure specific testing that ensures the safety of use and compliance to Brazilian telecommunication regulation.

The list of products that are required to go through the homologation process includes cell phones, fixed modems and radio transmitters, products that obviously make use of telecommunication. But other products and accessories, which by themselves may not involve any type of signal transmission, like cell phone charging cables and batteries, are also required to be homologated by Anatel.

Understanding the details and caveats of this list is crucial for anyone interested in the telecommunications market in Brazil. Any company not familiarized with this list can be subject to penalties for not submitting their products through homologation, that may vary from not being granted rights for commercialization to be being charged fines for introducing their product to the market.

Criteria for product homologation

Anatel regulation for homologated products revolves around the types of technology included in products that participate in the transmission of data. This means that Anatel does not have a fixed list of products required for homologation but rather analyzes the technologies included in products about to enter the market to determine if homologation is required or not.

Through this criteria, all types of products which include wi-fi technology, for example, like tablets, notebooks, media streaming devices, and other devices with radio transmission capabilities, like cameras, video games, TV’s and printers require homologation. This works the same way for bluetooth, which encompasses wireless headsets and GPS devices with data transmission capabilities.

Other criteria for the selection of homologated products is the assessment of the importance of a certain component to the data transmission system. This criteria amounts to the types of data transmission cables and connectors that are of utmost importance to a specific communication system and therefore require homologation. Cell phone components like batteries and charging cables must also be submitted to this process.

Examples of products that require homologation:

Telephone devices

Many telephones and auxiliary devices require homologation by Anatel. The list includes:

• Fixed line telephone devices, for subscriber or public usage, including telephone cards
• Mobile network, satellite and IP/Ethernet phones
• Other telephone line terminals, such as answering machines, number trackers, blockers, alarms or adapters

Modems

A variety of modems also required homologation. The type of connections and output of these are:

• Analog signal
• Bi-channel
• Digital xDSL
• Power Line Communications

Devices with telecommunication functionalities

Any device that includes some type of data transmission technology are required to be submitted to homologation. These include:

• Wi-fi
• Bluetooth
• Mobile data transmission, such as 3G or LTE
• Short distance radio transmitters, like walkie-talkies or radio-controlled gadgets
• AM/FM or TV signal transmitters and transceivers

Components of crucial importance to telecommunication systems

Some components are required homologation by Anatel for the importance of the part they play in the telecommunication product, system or process. These components are:

• Cell phone charging cables and batteries
• Wired and wireless signal transmitters, transceivers, multiplexers and amplifiers
• Data transmission cables, such as optical, coaxial, UTP, STP and telephone, including their connectors
• Signal transmission antennas
• Any type of batteries used in telecommunication systems

Examples of products that DO NOT require homologation:

Devices without telecommunication functionalities

Devices that do not involve any kind of data transmission are not required to be homologated by Anatel. For example:

• Media players without wi-fi, bluetooth or any kind of data transmission
• Cell phone accessories that do not involve communication or are not crucial to the phone’s main functions, like wired headsets, wired speakers, external lenses, memory cards, stylus and protection covers
• SIM cards

Signal receivers

Equipment that takes part in signal transmission only as a receiving terminal are not required to be homologated by Anatel. Such as:

• FM/AM radio receivers
• Televisions without any type of data transmission technology
• GPS systems without any type of data transmission technology

Auxiliary equipment

Technology designed to aid in or take part in the functionalities of telecommunication equipment is not necessarily required by Anatel to undergo homologation:

• Signal transmission cable auxiliary equipment, such as testing devices, tools or insulation material
• Uninterrupted Power Supplies for telecommunication systems
• General purpose USB charging cables, if not provided for specific smartphone devices
• IR-emitting equipment, such as remote controls