Legal basis and structure
- The Circular is promulgated pursuant to Republic Act No. 7925, Act No. 3846 as amended, Executive Order No. 546, and other applicable laws.
- The Circular amends Memorandum Circulars 2-1-97 and 1-1-98 by providing additional SRRS licensing guidelines and procedures.
- The Circular sets rules for SRRS equipment licensing through definitions, technical parameters, application requirements, licensing fees, import requirements, administrative sanctions, and effectivity.
- The Circular includes Attachment A defining the Technical Standards and Specifications for SRRS radio transceivers.
- The Circular requires equipment documentation and markings consistent with Annex B and the SRRS Information Sheet (Annex C) to be incorporated into the Equipment Manual.
Policy and purpose of regulation
- The Circular regulates SRRS licensing and equipment approval to ensure that SRRS communications operate within defined technical standards and service limitations.
- Licensing controls apply through requirements for type acceptance and type approval, including distinct administrative processes and documentary and technical compliance.
- Public service interest governs subsequent changes, because the Circular may be revised, revoked, or amended by the Commission in the interest of public service.
- Consistency and enforcement are ensured by superseding inconsistent issuances and by imposing administrative consequences under existing radio laws and regulations.
Core definitions
- Short Range Radio Service (SRRS) is defined as a private radio communication system in the Land Mobile Service limited to portable transceivers for short range communications.
- SRRS Special Permit is an authority issued by the NTC to individuals and/or entities for the possession and operation of a radio station under SRRS.
- Type Acceptance is a Commission certification issued for SRRS radio equipment upon compliance with SRRS Technical Standards and Specifications in Attachment A, and where the equipment has already been type approved by an administration whose certification is acceptable; this process does not require laboratory testing and is based on an acceptable type approval certificate and test reports from competent authorities/administrations.
- Type Approval is a Commission certification for SRRS equipment complying with Attachment A; this process requires laboratory testing.
- Portable unit is defined as a handheld unit that may be conveniently moved or personally carried and operated while in motion or during temporary halts.
- Repeater or relay system is defined as a station that receives a signal and retransmits it from a remote location.
Technical parameters and service limits
- SRRS frequency channels operate on a shared usage and Non-Interference Basis.
- The use of linear amplifier/booster and external antenna for SRRS is strictly prohibited.
- SRRS radio equipment must comply with the following minimum technical rules:
- Fixed and non-extendable frequency voice emission.
- A maximum transmitter power output of 2.5 watts for portable stations.
- Frequency modulation (FM) utilizing voice emission.
- Duly type approved/accepted by the Commission.
- Fixed or non-standard fitting type antenna.
- SRRS frequency band is fixed to 325.0000 – 325.4875 MHz using a 12.5 KHz channeling plan.
- Radio equipment technical specifications must conform to Attachment A.
- Any radio transceiver that meets SRRS technical specifications is allowed under SRRS after it is type accepted/approved by the Commission.
- Data communication is prohibited.
- Interconnection to the Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN) is prohibited.
- The use of external repeaters or relay system is not allowed.
- The NTC Licensing Guidelines and Procedures for SRRS, the SRRS Information Sheet (Annex C), and general rules and etiquette on proper radio usage must be incorporated in the Equipment Manual.
Type acceptance/approval applications
- Type Acceptance applications must be submitted using a duly accomplished type acceptance application form together with:
- A type acceptance fee.
- A certified copy of the type approval certificate from an administration/authority whose certification is acceptable, plus a certified copy of test results.
- Full technical/service documents giving detailed description including technical specifications, method employed in testing, schematic diagrams, board components layout, and components parts list.
- A color photograph of the equipment of sufficient size (not less than 20 cm x 25 cm) showing clearly external and internal appearance (with dust cover removed).
- Type Approval applications must be submitted using a duly accomplished type approval application form together with:
- A type approval fee.
- A model or prototype of the radio transceiver to be type approved (with test accessories).
- Full technical/service documents giving detailed description including technical specifications, method employed in testing, schematic diagrams, board components layout, and components parts list.
- A color photograph of the equipment of sufficient size (not less than 20 cm x 25 cm) showing clearly external and internal appearance (with dust cover removed).
- Application forms are to be secured from the Commission.
- Equipment must have markings using a tamper proof label as specified in Annex B.
Importation and local manufacture controls
- Importation requires:
- A permit to import and a corresponding special permit number for each unit of SRRS to be granted only to NTC authorized radio dealers upon filing of application and payment of the permit to import and the Special Permit fee per SRRS radio equipment.
- A Special Permit fee per SRRS unit must also be paid for each SRRS radio equipment unit manufactured locally, and a corresponding special permit number must be issued.
- All radio dealers and manufacturers must submit to the Commission a regular sales and stock report for SRRS, including the serial number and the corresponding special permit number per unit for all imported and/or locally manufactured SRRS radios.
- A manufacturer of SRRS radio communications equipment (foreign or local) must be accredited by the NTC to ensure compliance with Commission rules and regulations.
- No authority to import is issued to dealers if the source of the equipment is not from an NTC accredited manufacturer.
- Manufacturers of SRRS equipment must comply with the Special Permit Number assigned by the NTC.
Licensing fees and special permit issuance
- A one-time special permit fee of PHP 1,000 per SRRS unit is collected upon application from NTC authorized radio dealers in accordance with licensing and importation requirements.
- Each SRRS radio transceiver purchased from any authorized radio dealer must be issued with a corresponding SRRS special permit number per unit issued by the Commission, and that number serves as the SRRS Special Permit.
- The Circular prescribes the following fees for the type processes:
- Type Approval:
- Filing Fee: PHP 150.00
- Laboratory Fee: 5,000.00
- Certificate fee: 1,200.00
- Type Acceptance:
- Filing Fee: PHP 150.00
- Certificate fee: 1,200.00
- Type Approval:
- The issuance of the SRRS Special Permit is at the NTC Central Office (RRLD) unless modified by the Commission.
- The dealer must submit to the NTC the original copy of the SRRS Information Sheet together with the Sales and Stock Report.
Administrative sanction for unpermitted use/sale
- Any person and/or entity that purchases, possesses, and/or operates an SRRS radio equipment without SRRS special permit is subject to action under existing Radio Laws and Regulations.
- Any person and/or entity that sells SRRS radio units without being an NTC accredited radio dealer is subject to action under existing Radio Laws and Regulations.
- Any person and/or entity that fails to submit the regular registration of their sales and stock report is dealt with under existing Radio Laws and Regulations.
Attachment A technical standards
- Attachment A prescribes the minimum requirements for type approval of the multi-channel portable radio for localized communications under SRRS.
- The maximum transmitter output power allowed under the specification is not to exceed 3 watts, and nominal carrier frequency separation between adjacent channels is 12.5 kHz.
- Equipment must operate in the frequency band 325.0000 to 325.4875 MHz.
- The radio must not be capable of operating on frequencies other than the allocated frequencies in the specification.
- A radio cannot be type approved or type accepted if capable of user or dealer alteration to operate on frequencies other than those provided in the specification.
- Equipment must provide external and internal markings as specified in Annex B.
- The transmitter must meet these specific technical characteristics:
- Type of Emission: FM only (11K0f3e)
- Transmitter Output Power: 2.5W
- Modulation Limiting: A 2.5 kHz
- Conducted Spurious Attenuation: attenuation follows Attenuation (dB) = 43 + 10 log P, where P = rated carrier power in Watts
- Frequency Error: limits expressed in ppm
- Conducted Spurious Emissions (Rx): 20 nW or less
- Must be equipped with Continuous Tone Code Sub-audible Squelch (CTCSS- EIA 220 B) capability with a minimum number of 10 distinct tones from the provided list.
- Additional CTCSS tones and other coded squelch systems may be installed without restriction.
- Must fit a manual or automatic means to monitor the channel prior to use or a means to prevent transmission on occupied channels.
- Must be equipped with unique antenna fittings and matching antenna with a maximum gain or unity.
- Standard test conditions include:
- Test voltage within ± 2% of the manufacturer-stated value.
- Test atmospheric conditions: 25°C to 50°C temperature and 20% to 75% relative humidity.
- Transmitter test modulation: 1000 Hz sinusoidal audio input with 1% or less total harmonic distortion to produce 1.5 kHz deviation per 12.5 kHz channel spacing.
- Output load: resistive termination equal to nominal load, 50 ohms unless otherwise stated.
- Warm-up period: equipment may have a 15-minute warm-up under standby conditions prior to tests unless otherwise specified.
- Extreme test conditions include:
- Temperature extremes of -10°C and -60°C.
- Extreme test voltages at ± 10% of standard test voltage.
- Relative humidity restrictions at extremes to avoid condensation (not exceed 15% at 10°C and 60°C).
- Transmitter test limits include:
- Carrier power measured after 30 minutes under a duty cycle of 1 minute transmit and 4 minutes standby; power must be within +1dB and -1.5dB of the rated value under extreme conditions.
- Modulation limiting must keep peak and steady deviations within ± 2.5 kHz.
- Conducted spurious emissions must be attenuated below maximum level of carrier frequency using Attenuation (dB) = 43 + 10 log P.
- Frequency error limits must not exceed ±3 ppm under standard and extreme test conditions.
- Receiver test limits include:
- Conducted spurious emissions measured over 100 kHz to 1500 Mhz; power at any spurious frequency must not exceed 20 nanowatts.
- Annex A lists the 40 SRRS channel frequencies within 325.0000 – 325.4875 MHz in 12.5 kHz steps, and provides a list of CTCSS Code Frequencies in Hz including 67.0, 71.9, 74.4, 77.0, 79.7, 82.5, 85.4, 88.5, 91.5, 94.8, 100.0, 103.5, 107.2, 110.9, 114.8, 118.8, 123.0, 127.3, 131.8, 136.5, 141.3, 146.2, 151.4, 156.7, 162.2, 167.9, 173.8, 179.9, 186.2, 192.8, 203.5, 210.7, 218.1, 225.7, 236.6, 241.8, and 250.3.
- Annex B provides marking requirements for SRRS equipment, including external markings with “SP No.” and internal tamper-proof marking with Special Permit No. as specified in Annex B.