ISED Canada radio certification: RSS standards, REL listing

Author Hugues Orgitello Last updated 30 August 2026 ~15 min read

Guide · ISED Canada

ISED Canada radio certification takes a dossier built on RSS standards (RSS-Gen plus band standards such as RSS-247, and RSS-102 for RF exposure) and ICES-003, reviewed by an ISED-recognised certification body, then a mandatory Radio Equipment List (REL) listing under an IC identifier. Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) succeeded Industry Canada in 2015, but the "IC:" prefix on certification numbers was retained. For an engineer familiar with the FCC dossier, the Canadian ecosystem looks at first glance like a carbon copy: accredited certification bodies, a mutual recognition arrangement, standardised labelling. The differences are nonetheless numerous and each one can block a product at the border. This page documents the two normative families, RSS and ICES, the regulatory categories, the certification process, REL listing, and the operational gaps with the FCC that justify a dedicated Canadian dossier.

TL;DR:

• A typical dossier combines RSS-Gen + a band RSS (RSS-247 for Wi-Fi/BLE) + RSS-102 (RF exposure) + ICES-003 for the non-radio digital portion.
• Category I apparatus require a TAC and a REL listing before sale; Category II apparatus require no certification at all. The split is about certification, not licensing: Wi-Fi and BLE are licence-exempt and still Category I.
• The Canada-US MRA shares lab reports, not certificates: a distinct IC identifier and a separate dossier remain mandatory, with roughly 80% of tests reusable.
• Labelling statements and the user manual must be bilingual English-French.

ISED and the Industry Canada legacy

The federal Canadian authority for radiocommunications has carried three successive names: Industry Canada until 2015, then Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), following the November 2015 government reorganisation. The usage name and administrative acronym changed; the "IC" prefix on certification identifiers was retained to avoid invalidating markings already placed on tens of thousands of products in circulation.

Concretely, in 2026:

• The issuing authority is ISED, Spectrum Management and Telecommunications branch (SMT).
• The identifier format remains "IC: XXXX-YYYY", with no break from the pre-2015 history.
• The RSS (Radio Standards Specifications) and ICES (Interference-Causing Equipment Standards) families remain the two reference normative frameworks, independently of the name change.
• Certification bodies (CB) recognised before 2015 retain their recognition, transferred to ISED without disruption.

This administrative continuity is why professional literature still routinely uses "IC ID" or "Industry Canada certification": these expressions all designate the same current regulatory reality. For the broader North American context, see the FCC pillar.

Which RSS and ICES standards apply?

The ISED framework is structured in two distinct families that apply to different subsets of the same product.

RSS, Radio Standards Specifications

RSS standards cover intentional emitters, that is, any radio equipment intended to transmit into the spectrum. The RSS family comprises a horizontal standard and band- or technology-specific standards:

RSS standard	Scope	Approximate FCC equivalent
RSS-Gen	Common requirements for all radio apparatus	47 CFR Part 2
RSS-247	Digital transmission systems: Wi-Fi, BLE, ISM 902-928 MHz, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz licence-exempt	Part 15 Subpart C / E
RSS-130	Mobile stations 698-960 MHz and 1710-2200 MHz (LTE low and mid bands)	Part 27
RSS-132	Cellular 824-849 MHz and 869-894 MHz	Part 22
RSS-133	PCS 1850-1990 MHz	Part 24
RSS-139	LTE and 5G in the AWS band 1755-1780 MHz / 2155-2180 MHz and extended bands	Part 27
RSS-102	RF exposure compliance (MPE and SAR)	OET Bulletin 65, KDB 447498
RSS-210	Licence-exempt radio apparatus (other than DTS)	Part 15

RSS-Gen plays the role of an umbrella standard: it sets administrative requirements, test report format, labelling rules, and identifier rules. Every ISED submission references RSS-Gen in addition to the band-specific standard(s).

ICES, Interference-Causing Equipment Standards

ICES standards cover unintentional emitters: digital equipment, power supplies, motors, industrial ISM devices, whose radiated or conducted emissions can disturb radio communications.

The two main standards for connected electronic products are:

• ICES-003: digital apparatus. The Canadian counterpart of FCC Part 15 Subpart B. Distinguishes Class A and Class B (the stricter limits), but assigns those classes on its own criteria rather than the FCC's.
• ICES-001: ISM apparatus, outside the radio perimeter but generating RF energy (microwave ovens, welding, non-communicating medical equipment).

The class names are the FCC's; the way a product earns one is not. ICES-Gen Issue 2, section 2, defines Class A by characteristics of the product itself: its price, the marketing and advertising methodology, and a functional design that inhibits residential applications, so that use in a residential environment is highly unlikely. Class B is then defined by exclusion, as equipment that cannot be classified as Class A. Nor is there a Canadian Class A user-manual notice: that wording is an FCC requirement, 47 CFR 15.105(a) (see CE vs FCC EMC), and it has no counterpart in ICES-003 Issue 7 or in ICES-Gen Issue 2. What Canada requires instead is the compliance label "CAN ICES (A) / NMB (A)" of ICES-Gen 6.3.3, with the applicable ICES number inserted, and applying that label is itself the supplier's declaration of conformity (ICES-Gen 6.3.1).

For a typical IoT product, the full ISED dossier therefore combines a radio RSS (most often RSS-247 for Wi-Fi/BLE and a cellular RSS for operated bands), RSS-102 for RF exposure, and ICES-003 for the non-radio digital portion.

Radio apparatus categories

ISED classifies radio equipment into three groups, following the FCC pattern but with different administrative thresholds.

Category I and Category II: a certification test, not a licensing test

RSS-Gen section 3.4 splits radio apparatus into two categories, and the criterion is whether certification is required. It is not whether the band is licensed. Spectrum licensing is a separate matter, dealt with in section 3.5, and the two axes cross freely.

	Category I	Category II
Certification	Required: TAC from ISED's Certification and Engineering Bureau, or a certificate from a recognised CB	Not required
REL listing	Mandatory before marketing	Not applicable
Evidence held by	Certificate holder, listed publicly	Manufacturer, retained privately
Typical examples	Wi-Fi and BLE under RSS-247, cellular, PMR, microwave links	Apparatus under RSS-310 and similar

The trap is the word "licence-exempt". A Wi-Fi or BLE product under RSS-247 is licence-exempt, so the end user needs no operator licence, and it is nonetheless Category I: it requires a TAC and a REL listing like any cellular product. Reading licence-exempt as a synonym for Category II is how a product ships uncertified.

Category I in practice

Category I covers apparatus requiring certification, which for a typical connected product means essentially all of its radios. Certification yields a Technical Acceptance Certificate (TAC), the functional equivalent of the FCC Grant of Equipment Authorization.

Characteristics:

• Issued by a CB recognised by ISED.
• Mandatory listing on the REL.
• The certificate holder is responsible for sustained compliance of the product.
• The end user (operator, integrator) is still subject to an operating licence for the band used.

See the PTCRB pillar for the cellular operator dimension, which is distinct from ISED equipment certification.

Category II in practice

Category II covers the apparatus ISED exempts from certification, chiefly those meeting RSS-310. No TAC is issued, no CB is involved, and there is no REL listing to obtain, which also means there is no IC number to display.

The obligation that remains is substantive rather than administrative: the apparatus must still comply with the applicable RSS, and the manufacturer must be able to produce the evidence on request. Compliance is not waived, only the certification route is.

Characteristics:

• No certification, no TAC, no CB.
• No REL listing and no IC identifier.
• The manufacturer remains responsible for conformity and retains the test evidence.
• Most connected consumer products are not in this category, because Wi-Fi, BLE and cellular all sit in Category I.

Excluded apparatus

Some categories are excluded from the RSS/ICES perimeter, either because they generate no detectable radio emission (purely passive equipment), or because they fall under another framework (health equipment under Health Canada, automotive equipment under Transport Canada for vehicle functions). This exclusion qualification cannot be presumed: it must be documented in the design dossier.

What are the 10 steps of ISED certification?

The path of an ISED certification follows a canonical sequence. For a Wi-Fi/BLE + LTE Cat-M product targeting the Canadian market in parallel with the US:

1. Normative scoping. Identify the applicable RSS (radio bands), applicable ICES (digital portion), the category (I or II), and the possible need for a Canadian Representative.
2. Test lab selection. The lab must be ISO/IEC 17025-accredited with ISED-recognised scope, or FCC-accredited under the Canada-US MRA to produce a directly usable report.
3. RSS and ICES testing. Radio emissions, RF exposure (RSS-102), unintentional emissions (ICES-003). The lab produces a report compliant with the RSS-Gen format.
4. Choice of Certification Body (CB). The CB is the accredited entity that reviews the dossier and issues the authorisation. Several North American CBs are recognised by both ISED and the FCC (CETECOM, TÜV SÜD, UL, Element, Bureau Veritas, etc.), enabling a grouped submission.
5. Submission dossier preparation. Cover letter, test reports, internal and external photos, user manual with labelling notices, label artwork, manufacturer attestation, Canadian Representative designation for Category I.
6. CB review. The CB checks dossier completeness, consistency of tests with the referenced RSS standards, and label adequacy. It issues the TAC. Category II apparatus do not go through this step at all, since they are not certified.
7. Company Code and Product Code allocation. The Company Code (4 alphanumeric characters, sometimes 5) is allocated once per manufacturer. The Product Code is defined by the manufacturer and must be unique within the Company Code.
8. Listing on the Radio Equipment List. The CB transmits the certification details to ISED, which then appear on the public REL. Without a REL listing, marketing is prohibited.
9. Label apposition. "IC: XXXX-YYYY" marking on the product (physical label or RSS-Gen-compliant e-label) and mention in the user manual.
10. Sustained maintenance. Any change affecting RF characteristics triggers a Canadian Class II Permissive Change and a REL record update.

For realistic timeline ranges, see Certification timeline.

ISED vs FCC, comparison table

For an engineer familiar with the FCC, the practical gap is concentrated on five dimensions.

Dimension	FCC (United States)	ISED (Canada)
Authority	Federal Communications Commission	Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
Radio framework	47 CFR Parts 15, 22, 24, 27, 90...	RSS-Gen, RSS-247, RSS-130/132/133/139, RSS-210...
Non-radio EMC framework	Part 15 Subpart B (Class A / B, class from marketing environment)	ICES-003 (Class A / B, class from product characteristics per ICES-Gen)
RF exposure	OET Bulletin 65, KDB 447498 (SAR 1 g)	RSS-102 (equivalent SAR, specific procedures)
Identifier format	FCC ID: ABC-DEF	IC: ABCD-DEF
Issuing authority	TCB (Telecommunication Certification Body)	CB recognised by ISED
Public database	FCC Equipment Authorization System (EAS)	Radio Equipment List (REL)
MRA recognition	Accepts reports from ISED-accredited labs	Accepts reports from FCC-accredited labs
Representative for foreign manufacturer	US Agent for Service of Process (always required)	Canadian Representative (required in Category I)
Post-certification procedure	Class II Permissive Change	ISED equivalent, dossier with original CB
E-label allowance	Permitted under conditions (Section 2.935)	Permitted under conditions (RSS-Gen annex B)

The similarities are numerous, but none of them allows merging the two dossiers: an IC identifier is distinct from an FCC ID, a REL listing does not waive an FCC grant, and vice versa. For a broader EU-US comparison, see EU-US dual certification.

The Canada-US Mutual Recognition Arrangement

The element that makes a dual FCC + ISED certification economically reasonable is the bilateral MRA signed between Canada and the United States. Its operation:

• A lab accredited by the FCC (via NIST/NVLAP or A2LA) can produce a test report usable by an ISED-recognised CB, with no reinstrumentation or new measurement campaign.
• Conversely, an ISED-accredited lab can produce a report usable by an FCC TCB.
• Reports must explicitly reference both sets of standards (FCC Part XX and RSS-YY) and the corresponding thresholds.
• Tests must cover the union of bands operated in both countries (Canadian and US cellular bands differ slightly, for instance the 700 MHz low-band 71 used by some Canadian carriers).

The MRA covers the recognition of test laboratories, not the merging of certificates. A single lab can produce a unified report, but two distinct dossiers (FCC and ISED) must be submitted to two CBs (which can be the same legal entity operating two distinct accreditations).

In practice, the marginal cost of adding ISED to an existing FCC programme is modest: radio tests and RF exposure measurements are roughly 80% identical, and the ISED dossier preparation is reduced to a cover letter and label adaptation. The marginal calendar impact is a few weeks, depending on the CB queue.

RF exposure: RSS-102 in detail

RSS-102 is the Canadian RF exposure evaluation standard, the functional equivalent of FCC OET Bulletin 65. Its internal structure:

• MPE limits (Maximum Permissible Exposure) for distance-based evaluations, expressed in W/m^2 or V/m depending on the band, broadly aligned with ICNIRP and IEEE C95.1.
• SAR limits (Specific Absorption Rate) for body-worn portable devices, measured on a phantom. The Canadian limits are practically aligned with the FCC limits (1.6 W/kg over 1 g of tissue for head and trunk), with RSS-102-specific test procedures and a separate report metadata format.
• SAR exemption table per band and per power level, which exempts products below certain thresholds from formal SAR measurement, subject to analytical documentation.
• Measurement procedures on the SAM phantom, calibration, evaluation distances, transmission modes to be activated.

The practical difference with OET 65 lies in the measurement plans required and in the report format. A well-equipped MRA lab produces an SAR report compliant with both standards from a single campaign, by post-processing the measured data into both reference frameworks.

See FCC tests for the US-side mechanics.

Labelling, e-label and user manual

Physical format

The physical label must include:

• The "IC:" prefix followed by the Company Code and Product Code, separated by a hyphen.
• For Category II apparatus under RSS-247, the statement required by RSS-Gen section 9.3.2.1: "This device contains licence-exempt transmitter(s)/receiver(s) that comply with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada's licence-exempt RSS(s). Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause interference; (2) This device must accept any interference, including interference that may cause undesired operation of the device.".
• The IC marking may be combined with the FCC ID on a single label, provided the two identifiers are clearly separated and legible.

E-label

The electronic label (e-label) is permitted by RSS-Gen annex B under conditions:

• The user must be able to access the IC identifier without installing a third-party application, through a key sequence or menu reachable in fewer than three steps from the home screen.
• The product must carry a secondary physical label bearing the e-label access instructions.
• The IC identifier must also appear on the product packaging.

E-label rules are analogous to those of the FCC (Section 2.935), but the required wording differs and moving from one to the other requires two distinct information screens or a bilingual screen.

User manual

The user manual must reproduce the applicable RSS-Gen statements (text required in both English and French for products distributed in Canada, pursuant to federal bilingualism requirements and to the Quebec Charter of the French Language). The absence of bilingual text is a frequent cause of customs blockage and product recall.

Canadian Class II Permissive Change

ISED accepts a procedure analogous to the FCC Class II Permissive Change, without a separate official label but with an equivalent mechanism set out in RSS-Gen:

• A minor modification with no impact on RF characteristics (cosmetic change, mechanical redesign with no antenna effect) does not require a submission, provided the internal dossier is kept up to date.
• A modification affecting RF characteristics (chipset, antenna, power, frequency plan) must be filed with the original CB along with complementary tests.
• The IC identifier remains unchanged: the REL record is revised to reflect the new hardware or firmware revision.
• A major modification (band change, technology change, addition of a new emitter) requires a fresh full dossier and a new Product Code.

The boundary between minor modification, Class II and new dossier is judged by the CB. The recommended practice is to submit any non-trivial change for prior CB advice, rather than producing and distributing on the basis of a self-assessment that may be challenged.

Frequent pitfalls

Assuming an FCC dossier waives ISED

This is the most frequent trap. A product certified by the FCC cannot be legally placed on the Canadian market without an ISED REL listing. The MRA allows sharing of test reports, not of certificates. Canadian customs and market surveillance authorities check the REL listing, not the FCC EAS database.

Forgetting the Canadian Representative in Category I

For licensed equipment (Category I), a formally designated Canadian Representative is required. The omission is treated by the CB as an incomplete dossier, which suspends the procedure until corrected. The designation is made through a written mandate, to be formalised before the first submission.

Mishandling a Class II Permissive Change

Modifying an IC-certified product without informing the original CB and continuing to market it under the same IC identifier is an explicit non-conformity. The CB may, upon audit or report, withdraw the certification and require the recall of units sold after the undeclared modification.

Confusing RSS-247 and RSS-210

RSS-247 (Digital Transmission Systems) covers Wi-Fi, BLE and other spread-spectrum systems. RSS-210 covers other licence-exempt radio apparatus (short-range telemetry, non-DTS ISM apparatus). A Wi-Fi/BLE product falls under RSS-247, not RSS-210. A standard reference error in the test report leads to a CB return and a partial retest.

Monolingual labelling

The RSS-247 statement and the RSS-Gen warnings must appear in both French and English in the user manual and on the packaging intended for Canada. An English-only manual is tolerated for B2B products under certain conditions, but is prohibited for retail sale. The province of Quebec further requires that French take precedence in documentation distributed locally.

Ignoring ICES-003 for the non-radio portion

A radio product must also be ICES-003-compliant for its non-radio digital functions. A frequent error consists of supplying only the RSS-247 report and omitting the ICES-003 report from the submission dossier. The CB requires both; without one or the other, the dossier is incomplete.

Underestimating the CB queue

North American CBs handle FCC and ISED submissions in parallel; queues are shared. In periods of high activity, the CB lead time to review an ISED dossier can extend by several weeks. An ISED certification calendar should not be assumed to be instantaneous, even when the underlying tests are already available.

Glossary and resources

For technical terms (CB, TCB, MRA, SAR, REL, e-label, Class II PC), see the glossary. For the US context, see FCC pillar, FCC scope, FCC tests and FCC technical file. For the cellular operator dimension, see PTCRB.

See also

• Radio type approval worldwide: how it works
• ISED vs FCC: which radio authorisation?
• Switzerland: product certification and the EU-CH MRA
• ACMA and RCM: product compliance for Australia + NZ
• Telstra, Optus, TPG: cellular IoT acceptance in Australia
• ICASA South Africa: type approval and NRCS LoA
• CITC and SASO: certification in Saudi Arabia

ISED + FCC programme

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Sources & references

1. Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada - Spectrum Management and Telecommunications , ISED Canada ised-isde.canada.ca/site/spectrum-management-telecommunications
2. ISED Certification and Engineering Bureau, from which the Radio Equipment List (REL) is reached , ISED Canada ised-isde.canada.ca/site/certification-engineering-bureau/en
3. RSS-Gen: general requirements for compliance of radio apparatus , ISED Canada ised-isde.canada.ca/site/spectrum-management-telecommunications/en/devices-and-equipment/radio-equipment-standards/radio-standards-specifications-rss/rss-gen-general-requirements-compliance-radio-apparatus
4. ISED Radio Standards Specifications index (RSS-247, digital transmission systems) , ISED Canada ised-isde.canada.ca/site/spectrum-management-telecommunications/en/devices-and-equipment/radio-equipment-standards/radio-standards-specifications-rss
5. ISED Radio Standards Specifications index (RSS-102, RF exposure compliance) , ISED Canada ised-isde.canada.ca/site/spectrum-management-telecommunications/en/devices-and-equipment/radio-equipment-standards/radio-standards-specifications-rss
6. ISED Certification and Engineering Bureau (Canada-US MRA, recognised foreign test facilities) , ISED Canada ised-isde.canada.ca/site/certification-engineering-bureau/en