RF modules: ISED modular certification and the Canadian Representative
RF modules are certified under RSP-100 section 8 so that host products can use them without re-certification, provided the integration conditions in the module's grant are met. The module maker is the applicant and, if outside Canada, needs a Canadian Representative for the module's IC certification number. Host integrators do not need a representative for the module's certification; they need one only for certifications they hold themselves.
What is specific to this category
Modular approval. RSP-100 section 8 sets the requirements for a module to be certified on its own: shielding, buffered modulation and data inputs, power supply regulation, antenna requirements, labelling of the host, and the conditions the integrator must follow. A module that meets them carries its own IC number, and the host product displays it ("Contains IC: 12345A-ABC123"). A module that does not meet all conditions may be certified as a limited module with additional host-level requirements.
Who needs the representative. The module maker is the applicant for the module certification and, if its company address is outside Canada, must identify a Canadian Representative under section 4.1. Integrators relying on the module do not. Integrators need a representative for their own certification only where the host requires one: an added radio, a departure from the module's grant conditions, or a Class II permissive change the integrator files against the module (for example, a new antenna) in which case the integrator becomes an applicant. See one representative letter per IC ID.
One certification, many downstream products. A successful module ends up in dozens of host products from dozens of companies. Enquiries from ISED or CBs about the module come to the module maker's representative, who must be able to reach the module maker's regulatory team years after the module launched. Keep the contact details current. See common Canadian Representative mistakes.
Permissive changes and variants. Firmware updates affecting RF, new antenna lists, and new package variants are filed as Class I or Class II permissive changes under RSP-100 section 10, keeping the IC number and the existing representative appointment. A new silicon revision with changed RF characteristics usually means a new certification and a new letter.
Long tails. Modules stay in production for a decade because industrial customers design them in and do not change. The representative appointment must last as long.
Typical certification path
Lab tests to the applicable RSS standard for the module's radio (RSS-247, RSS-210, RSS-130 family, RSS-220 for UWB), RSS-102 at the module level with host conditions, RSS-Gen. CB reviews against section 8 and issues the IC number with the modular approval conditions. The module maker, if outside Canada, orders the Canadian Representative letter at application.
Products we have represented
Wi-Fi/BLE combo modules, cellular IoT modules, LoRa modules and sub-GHz transceivers for manufacturers in South Korea, Taiwan, China and the United States.
Sources. RSP-100, Issue 12, section 4.1 (Canadian representative), section 8 (host/modular product requirements), section 10 (modification of certified products). RSS-Gen as published by ISED.