Telecommunications, radiocommunications, EMC and EMR - A summary of labelling requirements

Under the Telecommunications Act 1997 and the Radiocommunications Act 1992, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is responsible for technical regulation, including making mandatory requirements for appropriate labelling, of:

Labelling requirements for these items are published in the relevant labelling notices (see Relevant labelling notices below). Each notice lists the types of items covered. In addition, each labelling notice also details the applicable standards and the required level of compliance. Australian manufacturers or importers or their authorised agents (suppliers) need to satisfy the requirements before these items are sold or supplied in Australia.

Compliance labels

A compliance label applied to an item by the supplier indicates that it complies with the relevant labelling notices and the applicable standards.

A-Tick compliance label

For telecommunications customer equipment and customer cabling, the A-Tick compliance label consists of the A-Tick compliance mark and information that identifies the supplier. This information may include the supplier code number issued by ACMA, or the Australian Company Number, or any other information detailed in the Telecommunications Labelling Notice. 

In the following example, the A-Tick compliance label shows the A-Tick compliance mark and the supplier code number N####:

N####

More information on the use of the A-Tick mark is on the ACA website.

C-Tick compliance label

Radiocommunications devices or specific electrical and electronic devices must comply with the requirements of the relevant labelling notices or these items cannot be sold or supplied to Australia.

The C-Tick is a compliance mark for items that are covered by the following labelling notices:

1. the Radiocommunications (Compliance Labelling Incidental Emissions) Notice 2001 to indicate compliance with the EMC regulatory arrangements, or
2. the Radiocommunications Devices (Compliance Labelling) Notice No. 1 of 1996 to indicate compliance with the radiocommunications regulatory arrangements, or
3. the Radiocommunications (Compliance Labelling – Electromagnetic Radiation) Notice 2003 to indicate compliance with the EMR regulatory arrangements.

Under the EMC regulatory arrangements, the C-Tick is the compliance label that must be applied to a product before it can be supplied in Australia. It is also the compliance mark for non-telecommunications radio products that have to meet electromagnetic radiation (EMR) regulatory arrangements. For telecommunications products, EMR is covered by the A-Tick compliance mark.

The C-Tick compliance label must be accompanied with supplier information to identify the supplier. This information may take the form of the supplier code number issued by ACMA, an Australian company number or any other form detailed in the relevant labelling notices. More information on the use of the C-Tick mark is available from the ACMA website.

The example below is the C-Tick compliance mark with a supplier code N### :

N###

Permission to use the A-Tick or C-Tick compliance marks

Suppliers must obtain permission from ACMA to be able to use the A-Tick or the C-Tick compliance marks. Application forms are available in the relevant labelling notices. Suppliers already registered to use the C-Tick compliance mark are considered to be registered to use the A-Tick compliance mark, and vice versa. However, suppliers should notify ACMA of their intention to use each compliance mark.

Holders of AUSTEL permits or Telecom Australia authorisations are also considered to be registered to use the A-Tick compliance mark. However, to enable the ACMA database to reflect current information, ACMA has asked these suppliers to re-register to use these marks.

More information on A-Tick and C-Tick marks, including downloadable files, is on the ACMA website.

Regulatory Compliance Mark

The Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM) is a trademark owned by Australian and New Zealand regulators. The RCM may be used as an alternative mark to the C-Tick compliance mark, but is not an alternative to the A-Tick. Therefore, the RCM cannot be used as a substitute for the A-Tick compliance label for telecommunications customer equipment or customer cabling.

If the RCM is used as a replacement for the C-Tick compliance mark, the item must comply with the other applicable regulations, such as electrical safety, that are covered by the RCM standard AS/NZS 4417. There are various parts of this standard that specify the conditions for use of the RCM Mark.

Suppliers who intend to use the RCM for other than telecommunications customer equipment or customer cabling must register with Standards Australia. They must also notify ACMA of their intention to use this trademark. The notification forms are in the standard and more information on the RCM is on the Standards Australia website.

The label below is an example of the RCM with the supplier code number N###:

N ####

Relevant labelling notices

Labelling notices for the telecommunications, radiocommunications, EMC and EMR regulatory arrangements are on the the ACMA website.

Relevant standards

Mandatory standards are listed under the respective sections on telecommunications, radiocommunications, EMC and EMR regulatory arrangements on the ACMA website.

The standards in the EMC, EMR or radiocommunications regulatory arrangements can be purchased from any office of Standards Australia or from their website.

Applicable technical standards identified in the Telecommunications Labelling Notice are also available for purchase from any office of Standards Australia or from the website.

The AS/ACIF SXXX series of the technical standards identified in the Telecommunications Labelling Notice may be downloaded free of charge from the Australian Communications Industry Forum (ACIF) website.

Suppliers should note that not all technical standards published by ACIF or Standards Australia have been made mandatory by ACMA. A complete list of mandated standards identified in the Telecommunications Labelling Notice is on the ACMA website.

More information

For more information on labelling, please contact the nearest ACMA office or see the ACMA website.

ACMA has industry and consumer fact sheets on a range of other topics available from the ACMA regional offices and the ACMA website at.

Please note: This document is intended as a guide only and is considered correct at the time of printing. For this reason the information contained herein should not be relied on as legal advice or regarded as a substitute for legal advice in individual cases.

[ Up ] [ Next ]

Send mail to web@atlasce.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: May 09, 2008