[Interpretation] The new version of EN 301 893 has been officially released, and Band 4 has new standards that can be implemented?

As is well known, in the European region, for Wi-Fi 5GHz, it is usually used in the Band 1~3 (5150~5350 MHz & 5470~5725 MHz) frequency band, and certification testing is carried out using the specific standard ETSI EN 301 893. For Band 4 (5725~5850 MHz) frequency band, due to the lack of specific standards, certification testing is usually carried out using the ETSI EN 300 440 standard. Until mid November 2023, CE released a new draft of ETSI EN 301 893, intending to include Band 4 in ETSI EN 301 893. After a year, ETSI EN 301 893 V2.2.1 was officially released at the end of November 2024, and Band 4 can now undergo certification testing using 893 instead of 440.

What specific content has been updated in addition to the addition of Wi-Fi 5GHz Band 4 in the latest version V2.2.1 of ETSI EN 301 893? What are the differences between the latest version V2.2.1 and the previous official version V2.1.1? To understand these contents, please refer to the following interpretation:

>> Key update <<

The key update of ETSI EN 301 893 V2.2.1 is the addition of Wi-Fi 5GHz Band 4, which has the following basic requirements:

As can be seen, 893 V2.2.1 sets the power upper limit of Band 4 relatively high, up to 23 dBm, which is much higher than the 25 mW (13.98 dBm) of 440. However, unfortunately, only two European countries currently support the use of power above 25 mW in Band 4, namely the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom.

Therefore, if manufacturers want to produce Wi-Fi 5GHz Band 4 with a power greater than 25 mW EIRP, they need to meet a new requirement of 893 V2.2.1, which is country determination capability. This item will test whether EIRP will change the power size based on national location information through space radiation method. If the power is not greater than 25 mW EIRP, the item does not need to be executed.

>> Test items update <<

The testing requirements for ETSI EN 301 893 V2.2.1 have been updated, as shown in the table below (highlighted in red are the parts that differ from V2.1.1 version):

-  Attachment A: Power, TPC & PSD Limit:

-  Attachment B: Transmitter unwanted emissions outside the transmitter’s operating bands Limit:

-  Attachment C: Blocking Limit:

-  Attachment D: Adjacent Channel Selectivity Limit:

>> Differences between the old and new versions <<

The differences between the old version of ETSI EN 301 893 V2.1.1 and the new version of ETSI EN 301 893 V2.2.1 are shown in the following table:

From the above standard changes, it can be seen that there are significant differences between the new version of ETSI EN 301 893 V2.2.1 and the old version. However, the new version of V2.2.1 has just been released and has not yet been listed as an harmonised standard (OJ), so there is currently no mandatory date. Moreover, certification testing according to the new version of V2.2.1 still requires obtaining an NB certificate. Therefore, the current certification testing is mainly based on the old version of V2.1.1.

If you have certification testing requirements for the new version V2.2.1, BTL can perform this service for you. We have been following up since the standard was still a draft, and at the beginning of this year, BTL's internal development team independently developed a conducted testing automation that complies with ETSI EN 301 893 V2.2.1, which can accurately and efficiently perform testing.

BTL now has the testing capability for CE Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 2.4GHz / Wi-Fi 5GHz / Wi-Fi 6E / Wi-Fi 7). We welcome manufacturers to contact the BTL team and we will be dedicated to serving you!