DC-01 terminal equipment and the Canadian Representative
Terminal equipment, meaning equipment that connects to the public telecommunications network and must comply with CS-03, is registered with ISED under DC-01 rather than certified under RSP-100. DC-01 section 6 uses the same trigger as RSP-100: "A Canadian representative is required when the applicant's company address is not within Canada." The representative responds to ISED enquiries and provides audit samples at no charge. We issue letters for DC-01 registrations on the same terms as for radio certifications, US$499 per registration, paid once.
What DC-01 covers
DC-01 is ISED's Procedure for Declaration of Conformity and Registration of Terminal Equipment. It applies to telecommunications terminal equipment that has to comply with CS-03, the Compliance Specification for Terminal Equipment: the wired telephony and network interface side of a product, such as an analogue telephone port, a DSL or cable interface, or a PBX line card. It excludes radio apparatus, which is certified under RSP-100, and interference-causing equipment, which is declared under the ICES standards.
A product can fall under more than one regime. A cellular gateway with an analogue phone port is radio apparatus for the cellular module (RSP-100), terminal equipment for the phone port (DC-01), and digital apparatus for its emissions (ICES-003). Each regime has its own obligation and, for the first two, its own Canadian Representative requirement.
How registration differs from certification
Under DC-01 the supplier declares conformity to CS-03 and submits the registration to ISED's Certification and Engineering Bureau, which lists the equipment in the Telecommunication Apparatus Register (TAR), "the official list of terminal equipment maintained by ISED." There is no certification body in the chain as there is for radio apparatus. The registration number takes the same form as an IC certification number, IC: company number-unique product number, and DC-01 requires that "the HVIN and ISED Registration Number shall be permanently indicated on the exterior of the product or displayed electronically."
Because the applicant deals with ISED directly, the Canadian Representative's details go on the DC-01 declaration itself rather than on a CB's application form. The representative letter is addressed accordingly and cites DC-01 section 6 rather than RSP-100 section 4.1.
What DC-01 section 6 requires
The trigger is identical to RSP-100: the applicant's company address is outside Canada. The duties are identical too: respond to ISED enquiries about the registered equipment and provide audit samples at no charge to ISED. DC-01 also requires the registration holder to "provide random terminal product samples, at the registration holder's expense, when requested by ISED, for post-registration audit testing", which places the cost of the unit on the holder, the same allocation as RSP-100 section 12.2. The appointment runs for as long as the equipment is on the Canadian market.
One representative for both files
A foreign manufacturer with a product under both RSP-100 and DC-01 needs a representative on each application. Nothing requires them to be different, and there is a practical reason for them to be the same: ISED's enquiry about a product does not always say which regime it is asking under, and a single Canadian contact holding both files can answer without a hand-off. We issue one letter per IC number, whether certification or registration, and hold the two together. See does each IC ID need a separate letter and how to appoint a Canadian Representative.
Equipment registered years ago
DC-01 states that terminal equipment "previously registered or certified under Certification Procedure CP-01 will be regarded as compliant equipment, as long as it has not been modified." The registration stands, and so does the Canadian Representative obligation attached to it. A manufacturer whose original representative was a distributor or a lab that has since closed should replace it; the mechanics are in changing your Canadian Representative.
Sources. DC-01, Issue 7 (August 2021), sections 1, 6 and 8.2.1 and the audit provisions. RSP-100, Issue 12, sections 4.1 and 12.2. Check the current issue of CS-03 with your laboratory.
Does terminal equipment need a Canadian Representative?
Yes, when the applicant's company address is outside Canada. DC-01 section 6 uses the same wording as RSP-100 section 4.1.
Is a DC-01 registration the same as ISED certification?
No. Registration is a supplier's declaration to CS-03 filed with ISED's Certification and Engineering Bureau and listed in the TAR; certification is a certification body's decision under RSP-100 listed in the REL. The Canadian Representative requirement exists in both.
My product has a cellular module and a phone port. How many letters?
One per IC number. If the cellular module is certified under one number and the terminal interface registered under another, that is two letters, and we can issue both to the same representative on one invoice.
What does a DC-01 representative letter say?
The same fields as an RSP-100 letter, citing DC-01 section 6: the applicant's legal name, address and company number, the equipment and registration number or HVIN, the representative's identity and Canadian address, and acceptance of the section 6 duties.