Regulatory certification (type approval) FAQ

Introduction

This document has been put together to help SOs, channels, product makers, modem makers and Sigfox sales and Ecosystem partners with regulatory certifications (type approvals).

The objective of this document is to provide an overview of regulatory certification (type approval) for the devices operating on the Sigfox network.

Generic questions

What is the difference between Sigfox certification and FCC certification?

Sigfox has 2 different Sigfox Ready certifications: Sigfox Ready™ Certification Program for RF Silicon Transceivers and Modules and Sigfox Ready™ Certification Program for End Products.

Sigfox Ready™ Certification Program for End Products is an assessment of the product transmitter radiated performance.

Sigfox Ready™ Certification Program for RF Silicon Transceivers and Modules is addressed to modules and devices using a module which is not Sigfox Ready™. The main objective of this certification is to verify the correct implementation of Sigfox libraries.

These certifications cover the Sigfox requirements to operate on in its network and are mandatory (by Sigfox).

FCC, CE mark, ARIB... are regulatory certifications requested by each country before distribution a device in their markets.

Why can a device not send more than 140 messages a day?

This limit respects respect European requirements on duty cycle. Sigfox has aligned all countries with this requirement.

Is FCC certification to be done prior to Sigfox certification or afterwards?

It is advised that Sigfox certification be carried out prior to to FCC, ETSI or any other regulatory certification. Sigfox certification ensuresthat a device can be used on the Sigfox network.

If for example FCC certification is carried out first and during Sigfox certification an issue arises then the probability of having to repass FCC certification is very high.

Can I mutualize FCC certification and Sigfox certification?

No, the testing required by FCC is not the same as that required by Sigfox certification.

Sigfox is not accredited for regulatory certification (FCC, ETSI, ARIB....)

General type approval questions

What is the status of protocol standardization of Sigfox in relation to the International Standards bodies?

Sigfox is involved and active in several SDOs (Standard Definition Organization).

Sigfox is leading the ETSI ERM/TG28/LTN sub-group, where its ultra-narrow band technology is being standardized for the IoT market.

Sigfox is active in IETF where a technical group is working on standards for IPv6 over LPWAN. In March 2017, Sigfox and Acklio (a French start-up) demonstrated the first IPv6 protocol stack running over a commercial LPWAN network, in Chicago.

Sigfox is an active contributor to the IoT task force dealing with smart metering over LPWAN networks, hosted by the French mirror committee of CEN/CENELEC for smart metering.

Further to this active involvement, Sigfox monitors LPWAN activities hosted in various SDOs, such as IEEE, 3GPP and W3C.

Sigfox is currently evaluating a possible involvement in various Internet SDOs and its position will be defined in the coming months.

Sigfox is fully involved in the 3GPP discussions on IoT where several initiatives are ongoing: 2G evolution and clean slate system (based on new radio access in uplink and OFDM in downlink), expected to be included in Release 13, Massive machine type communication (mMTC) which is the 5G answer to IoT.

All these initiatives address the upper part of the IoT market (i.e. what is called "low-end machine to machine" by some of the 3GPP actors) where module costs and the need for a SIM card hamper very low-cost solutions. It will take time to deploy these new features and for compatible modules to be available in the market.

Regarding products (objects/devices) are there any regulatory constraints that apply?

All products (devices/objects) need to comply to local regulatory constraints in order be sold within that market. Constraints depend on the type of product and its usage. In Europe, generic wireless products have to comply with Safety, EMC and immunity as well as radio compliance in order to obtain EEC approval. Other regulatory constraints may also apply depending on the type of object/device (medical, security etc) and also depending on the countries addressed.

Does my product (device/object) need to be both Sigfox and EC, FCC… certified?

Sigfox certification is independent from the regulatory certifications and both are required.

European Community conformity is mandatory for the commercial distribution of goods in Europe. As in Europe, short range devices have to comply with country-specific requirements to obtain regulatory or type approval in almost every country in the world.

Sigfox certification is a quality label that is mandatory for devices/objects that connect to the Sigfox network in order for Sigfox to guarantee service level commitments.

FCC related questions

What does FCC stand for?

The Federal Communications Commission regulates interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories. An independent U.S. government agency overseen by Congress, the commission is the United States' primary authority for communications law, regulation and technological innovation.

Sigfox technology complies with FCC standards.

Has Sigfox already certified a «FCC» device?

Yes, there are several Sigfox devices certified FCC.

Example SNT FCC ID:  2ACK7SNT900ST; 2ACK7SENSIT2

Which FCC standard Sigfox devices are compliant to?

Sigfox devices are compliant to FCC part 15.247 frequency hopping radios.

Can we certify a FCC device with a power of 16dBm?

Yes, it is possible to certify a 16dBm Sigfox device against FCC. FCC requirement is a max EIRP of 36dBm. There is no low limit.

Nevertheless Sigfox advises the use of 24dBm EIRP to operate in the USA  for optimal service.

How many hopping channels do Sigfox devices have?

Sigfox devices have 54 hopping channels (more than the 50 requested by the standard).

What happens if I have to transmit a very short message?

The Sigfox radio will be shut down before it has had the opportunity to hop onto all 54 channels.

When the radio switches on, it starts on the first channel of the declared hopping list. The transmission can stop before going over the 54 channels if the message is short.  No individual channel will ever be used more often than it is allowed.

Which modulation do Sigfox devices use when frequency hopping?

ITU modulation acronym is: 19K2J2D

Devices use a single side band modulation with fully suppressed carrier, where a subcarrier is modulated by a 600 bps BPSK data modulation. The offset of this SSB subcarrier is related to the central frequency “F0” of each declared 25 KHz channels in which the device is hopping as per 15.247 regulation (54 channels for continuous transmission). The magnitude of the subcarrier’s pseudo random offset is calculated to fulfill the 25 KHz mask requirement, taking maximal natural frequency error related to F0 into account.

Why are there so few FCC certified devices?

Even though the FCC are themselves happy with the way the system works we now have a lot of work to do to educate the test labs. There are certain characteristics of Sigfox that are unusual compared to more common high bandwidth systems, and it takes time to explain these to each new lab.

On top of this, Sigfox is not a device maker and is not directly involved in the device certification. Today our partners have found other issues during FCC certification like the limit for out-of-band emissions. Sigfox technology has nothing to do with this kind of issue; it is linked to the HW design itself.

CE certification related questions

What does ETSI stand for?

ETSI, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute, produces globally-applicable standards for Information and Communications Technologies (ICT), including fixed, mobile, radio, converged, broadcast and Internet technologies.

Sigfox technology complies with ETSI standards.

How should we declare our device for CE (radio access)?

Sigfox devices use a single frequency with a bandwidth of 192KHz and a duty cycle of 1%.

Which CE radio standard are Sigfox devices compliant with?

Sigfox devices are compliant with ETSI EN 300 220-2.

What is the maximum power used by a CE compatible device?

The maximum EIRP that can be used in Sigfox devices for ETSI EN 300 220-2 is 16dBm.

Which CE modulation do Sigfox devices use?

ITU modulation acronym is: 150KJ2D

SIGFOX terminals use a single side-band modulation with fully suppressed carrier, where the subcarrier is modulated by digital information.

SSB modulation is centered on a fixed central frequency Fc and sub-carrier frequency offset Foffset is pseudo-randomly defined within a range of +/- 75 kHz (150kHz).

SSB modulation take into account natural terminal frequency error in order to ensure an absolute maximum frequency offset of +/- 96 kHz. This spectral occupation is a validating item within SIGFOX Ready certification program applicable to all SIGFOX terminals.

Can I put 2 modems in 1 product to use more than the 1% duty cycle?

Under ISM regulation, a product containing several 868Mhz or 900Mhz modems is seen as a single product. 1% duty cycle is applicable regardless of the number of modems a device/object contains

This same rule applies on synchronized objects. Multiple objects with synchronized ISM radios are considered 1 product and therefore the 1% duty cycle applies.

ARIB related questions

How should we declare our device for ARIB (radio access)?

Sigfox devices use a single frequency with a bandwidth of 192KHz and using LBT.

Which Japanese standard are Sigfox devices are compliant with?

Sigfox devices are compliant with STD-T108.

Which is the power to be used by a device for Japan?

The maximum EIRP that can be used as for STD-T108  is 16dBm (with a maximum conducted output power 13dBm)

Which modulation ARIB SIGFOX devices use?

ITU modulation acronym is: 150KJ2D

Sigfox terminals use a single side-band modulation with fully suppressed carrier, where the subcarrier is modulated by digital information.

SSB modulation is centered on a fixed central frequency Fc and sub-carrier frequency offset Foffset is pseudo-randomly defined within a range of +/- 75 kHz (150 kHz).

SSB modulation takes into account natural terminal frequency error in order to ensure an absolute maximum frequency offset of +/- 96 kHz. This spectral occupation is a validating item within Sigfox Ready certification program applicable to all Sigfox terminals.