IC is the old name; the body now is ISED — Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. The system changed in 2016 and the industry just kept saying IC. The IC ID is now only an identifier number, not an agency name. For the Canadian market, write ISED where the document calls for it; stop writing IC.
The 2026 adjustments centre on RSS-series standard revisions plus two newly published technical documents. The framework did not move, but the impact on sample strategy and document preparation is real: during the transition old versions are still accepted for new applications, and only after the window closes are old versions rejected.
This standard covers Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. Issue 4 replaces Issue 3 (August 2023), was published 24 July 2025, and carries Canada Gazette notice SMSE-006-25. The applicable bands are explicit: 902–928, 2400–2483.5, 5150–5350, 5470–5895 MHz.
Several technical changes hit projects directly. The usage restriction on the 5600–5650 MHz segment was removed — Wi-Fi planners can review band allocation. Section 6.4 redraws the line, separating hybrid devices from simple frequency-hopping-plus-digital-transmission combination devices; what was ambiguous now must meet separate requirements.
A few easy-to-miss items. Devices with transmit-power control get a new reporting requirement in section 7.1, to be submitted at test. Section 7.3.2.1 adds an indoor-use labelling requirement, with the spurious-radiation column to be marked. The 5250–5350 MHz spurious limit is spelled out separately in 7.3.2.3 — do not apply the old table.
Also, directional-antenna and antenna-array calculations were removed from the standard and now reference test method standard ANSI C63.10, with FCC KDB documents as supplementary. In-vehicle LE-LAN devices got clarification clauses for the 5150–5250 and 5250–5350 MHz segments.
The RF-exposure side: RSS-102 Issue 6 reorganised the whole architecture. The old supplementary procedure files (SPR) were abolished and their content merged into specific parts. It is now a family of standards — the main body is still RSS-102, used together with a set of companion files.
The companion files are organised along measurement and simulation lines, all carrying the RSS-102. prefix — RSS-102.SAR.MEAS, RSS-102.SAR.SIM, RSS-102.NS.MEAS, RSS-102.NS.SIM, RSS-102.IPD.MEAS, RSS-102.IPD.SIM, with APD also brought into this system. Confirm which version is current before doing SAR assessment.
Content also changed in substance: new exemption limits for neural effects (NS) and absorbed power density (APD), revised SAR exemption limits, new handheld hand-SAR and APD assessment requirements, and a changed maximum separation distance for SAR. Sensor-validation requirements were also added. Wireless-power-transfer (WPT) RF exposure got its own section in Issue 6; the old SPR-002 parts were abolished, but WPT emission technical requirements remain separately under RSS-216.
6 GHz runs under RSS-248, covering 5925–7125 MHz indoor unlicensed LAN devices, classified as Category I equipment. Those doing Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 must understand this path first; power tiers and the indoor-restriction statement must go into the documents.
For V2X, do not mis-file. C-V2X devices in the 5850–5925 MHz band run under RSS-252, the unlicensed V2X wireless standard. The market is full of claims that V2X is stuffed into other standard numbers; check against the official standard list before submission.
On 16 January 2026, ISED published RSS-195 Issue 3 and SRSP-516 Issue 2, covering wireless communications equipment in the 2305–2320 MHz and 2345–2360 MHz bands. Base stations, fixed stations and user equipment are all in scope, as Category I equipment, requiring a technical acceptance certificate or certification-body issuance.
The transition constraint applies to new certification applications: equipment already certified under Issue 2 and on the market is not forced to upgrade immediately, but new applications recognise only Issue 3. SRSP-516 Issue 2 is the Active Antenna System system-planning document (deployment rules) — it governs the network side, not a terminal-product test-certification standard.
Canadian projects should confirm the current RSS version and companion-standard status at project launch, especially those still in development, to avoid planning tests against an unusable version.
For wireless products going to the US and Canada at once, BlueAsia's one-stop testing and certification merges the RF testing of both sides into one schedule, but flags the limit and method differences separately rather than forcing one report onto both.
The IC identifier must start with "IC:"; writing ISED does not count — this trips people every year. Devices with intentional radio emission take the IC-ID route and mandatorily need a Canadian local representative; SDoC unintended-radiation equipment does not mandatorily need one, but Class II equipment with intentional RF emission equally needs a local representative — keep the two boundaries clear.
Contact: King Email: king.guo@cblueasia.comAddress: Building C, Hongjingda Industrial Park, No. 107 Beihuan Road, Shiyan Street, Bao'an District, Shenzhen, China BlueAsia delivers more than service!
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