SGS Wireless Lab Newsletter – 202602

United States of America FCC

FCC Bans New Foreign-Made Drones and Critical Drone Components

On December 22, 2025, the FCC published a Public Notice DA 25-1086 announcing that the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB) has added uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and UAS critical components produced in foreign countries and areas to the Covered List. Following this announcement, the FCC has since released additional updates to clarify the scope of this action. The key points are as follows:

• All newly foreign-manufactured drones and critical drone components are prohibited from receiving FCC equipment authorizations.
• UAS critical components include, but are not limited to: Data transmission devices
  • Communications systems
  • Flight controllers
  • Ground control stations and UAS controllers
  • Navigation systems
  • Sensors and cameras
  • Batteries and battery management systems
  • Motors
• Until January 1, 2027, the following are exempted:
  • UAS and UAS components listed in the Defense Contract Management Agency’s (DCMA’s) Blue UAS Cleared List.
  • UAS and UAS components that qualify as “domestic end products” under the Buy American Standard, 48 CFR 25.101(a). Namely, the drone must still be manufactured in the US, and the cost of domestic components shall exceed 60% of the total component cost, rising to 65% for items delivered from 2024 through 2028.
• Manufacturers may request individual exemptions. The Department of War (DoW) or the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will evaluate submissions to determine whether specific UAS or components that do not pose an “unacceptable risk” may receive conditional approval.
• All UAS and UAS critical components already authorized by the FCC may continue to receive software and firmware updates, such as security patches or operating-system compatibility updates, through Class I permissive changes, at least until January 1, 2027.

 

For detailed information, please search: Covered List FAQs: UAS and UAS Critical Components

 

Canada ISED

RSS-195 for WCS Operating in 2.3GHz Updated to Issue 3

On January 16, 2026, ISED published RSS-195 Issue 3, RSS-195 – Wireless Communication Service (WCS) Equipment Operating in the Bands 2,305-2,320 MHz and 2,345-2,360 MHz to replace RSS-252 Issue 2. SRSP-516 – Technical Requirements for Wireless Communication Service (WCS) in the Bands 2305-2320 MHz and 2,345-2,360 MHz, which sets out the minimum WCS technical requirements, was also updated from Issue 1 to Issue 2. The changes are as follows:

• Added the active antenna system (AAS) base station as a new equipment category, along with its associated new requirements.
• Editorial summarized maximum power requirements for all equipment categories in Table 2.
• Unwanted emissions
  • Editorial changed requirement limits from relative to absolute.
  • Testing for each supported bandwidth is explicitly required.
  • For multi-carriers, both the maximum and minimum number of carriers are to be tested.
• Additional editorial changes were made throughout both documents to improve clarity.

For detailed information, please search: RSS-195 Issue 3 and SRSP-516 Issue 2