European EMC and approval requirements for digital cellular telephone base stations

The approval requirements placed on manufacturers of GSM/DCS base station equipment may at first appear daunting, especially when compared to the relatively straightforward FCC requirements for the virtually identical PCS 1900 equipment. This paper explains the approval requirements with regard to EMC and the EU EMC Directive and with regard to type approval requirements for spectrum management considerations. While this paper concentrates on the regulatory requirements of GSM base stations, the tests and procedures are similar for other PMR base station equipment and to a limited extent, radio equipment in general.