Bahrain's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has published a new position paper setting out the rules for using licence-exempt frequency bands in the Kingdom.

Compliance in licence-exempt bands

The guidance covers wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, LoRaWAN and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, which play an important role in smart city projects and connected applications.

Under the TRA rules, equipment operating in approved licence-exempt bands does not require an individual spectrum licence, but it must meet the Authority's technical requirements and must not cause harmful interference to licensed radio services.

The document also makes clear that radio equipment using licence-exempt bands still requires TRA type approval unless a specific exemption applies under current regulations.

The move is intended to support innovation, promote efficient use of spectrum and provide clearer guidance for manufacturers, importers, service providers and users of radio equipment in Bahrain.