Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/883

Contents

Article 1 #

This Decision harmonises the technical conditions for the availability and efficient use of radio spectrum in the 116-260 GHz frequency band in the Union by radiodetermination applications.

Article 2 #

For the purposes of this Decision, the following definitions shall apply:

(1)‘non-interference and non-protected basis’ means that no harmful interference may be caused to any radiocommunication service and that no claim may be made for protection of these devices against interference originating from radiocommunication services;

(2)‘equivalent isotropically radiated power’ or ‘e.i.r.p.’ means the product of the power supplied to the antenna and the antenna gain in a given direction relative to an isotropic antenna (absolute or isotropic gain).

Article 3 #

Within six months after this Decision takes effect, Member States shall designate and make available radio spectrum in the 116-260 GHz frequency band for radiodetermination applications, on a non-interference and non-protected basis, as laid down in the Annex.

Article 4 #

Article 3 shall not affect the right of Member States to allow the use of the 116-260 GHz frequency band for radiodetermination applications under less restrictive conditions than those specified in the Annex.

Article 5 #

Member States shall monitor the use of the 116-260 GHz frequency band and report their findings to the Commission upon request or at their own initiative to allow a timely review of this Decision.

Article 6 #

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Part I — technical requirements for radiodetermination applications referred to in articles 1 and 3

1. Generic indoor surveillance radars

(1)all generic indoor surveillance radars (handheld/mobile and fixed) shall only be operated indoors (that is to say inside a building) or inside similarly shielded environments;

(2)fixed generic indoor surveillance radars shall be installed at a permanent fixed position indoors (that is to say inside a building) or inside similarly shielded environments;

(3)users and installers shall ensure that fixed generic indoor surveillance radars, although installed inside a building, do not perform a function outside the building structure, such as the detection of people outside the building (for example, through-wall imaging);

(4)for fixed generic indoor surveillance radars, the maximum mean e.i.r.p. for elevations above 0° shall be limited to 12 dBm (8 dB below the maximum mean e.i.r.p. of 20 dBm);

(5)the provider shall inform the users and installers of fixed generic indoor surveillance radars about the installation requirements and additional special mounting instructions.

Generic indoor surveillance radars are used to measure and determine physical characteristics like presence, velocity or material properties of, or the distance to, a target object. Generic indoor surveillance radars are intended for private indoor use and are classified into two categories: (a) handheld and mobile radars; and (b) fixed generic indoor surveillance radars. Devices falling under the first category are portable and moveable inside the building, whereas devices falling under the second category shall remain in a permanently fixed position.

Generic indoor surveillance radars shall not be subject to any individual right to use the designated parts of the 116-260 GHz frequency band if the following requirements are met:

1.1. Handheld and mobile generic indoor surveillance radars

Technical requirements for handheld and mobile generic indoor surveillance radars
Designated frequency band	Maximum mean e.i.r.p. (Note 1)	Maximum mean e.i.r.p. spectral density (Note 2)	Maximum peak e.i.r.p. (Note 5)	Spectrum access and mitigation requirements (Note 3)	Minimum unwanted emissions attenuation (Note 4)
	A	B	C	D	E
122,25-130 GHz	10 dBm	-20 dBm/MHz	20 dBm	ΣT_meas ≤ 400 ms within Tobs = 1 s is equivalent to a maximum duty cycle of 40 %	20 dB
134-148,5 GHz	10 dBm	-20 dBm/MHz	20 dBm	ΣT_meas ≤ 400 ms within Tobs = 1 s is equivalent to a maximum duty cycle of 40 %	20 dB

1.2. Fixed generic indoor surveillance radars

Technical requirements for fixed generic indoor surveillance radars
Designated frequency band	Maximum mean e.i.r.p. (Note 1)	Maximum mean e.i.r.p. spectral density (Note 2)	Maximum peak e.i.r.p. (Note 5)	Spectrum access and mitigation requirements (Note 3)	Minimum unwanted emissions attenuation (Note 4)
	A	B	C	D	E
122,25-130 GHz	20 dBm and 12 dBm > 0°elevation	-10 dBm/MHz and -18 dBm/MHz > 0° elevation	30 dBm and 22 dBm > 0° elevation	ΣT_meas ≤ 100 ms within Tobs = 1 s is equivalent to a maximum duty cycle of 10 %	20 dB
134-148,5 GHz	20 dBm and 12 dBm > 0° elevation	-10 dBm/MHz and -18 dBm/MHz > 0° elevation	30 dBm and 22 dBm > 0° elevation	ΣT_meas ≤ 100 ms within Tobs = 1 s is equivalent to a maximum duty cycle of 10 %	20 dB

2. Radiodetermination systems for industry automation (rdi)

(1)RDI shall be operated for industrial purposes only;

(2)installation and maintenance of RDI shall be performed by professionally trained personnel only;

(3)RDI shall not be marketed to private end-user customers;

(4)installers shall ensure that there are no unwanted obstacles in the main beam of the antenna in order to minimise unintentional reflections and scattering;

(5)outdoor RDI shall only be installed at heights from 0 m to 3 m above ground;

(6)the provider shall inform the users and installers of RDI about the installation requirements and additional special mounting instructions;

(7)for RDI using an antenna gain less than 20 dBi, the maximum conducted peak output power shall be limited to 15 dBm.Technical requirements for RDIDesignated frequency band | Maximum duty cycle | Maximum mean e.i.r.p. spectral density (Note 2) | Maximum peak e.i.r.p. (Note 3) | Minimum unwanted emissions attenuation (Note 1)| A | B | C | D174,8-182 GHz | 5 % | -13,8 dBm/MHz | 31 dBm | 20 dB185-190 GHz | 5 % | -13,8 dBm/MHz | 31 dBm | 20 dB231,5-250 GHz | 5 % | -25,6 dBm/MHz | 31 dBm | 20 dB

RDI are used to measure and determine physical characteristics like presence, velocity or material properties of, or the distance to, a target object located primarily in open-air areas. RDI are intended for industrial automation purposes and professional use only.

RDI shall not be subject to any individual right to use the designated parts of the 116-260 GHz frequency band if the following requirements are met:

3. Level probing radars (lpr)

(1)LPR shall be operated for industrial purposes only;

(2)installation and maintenance of LPR shall be performed by professionally trained individuals only;

(3)LPR shall not be marketed to private end-user customers;

(4)LPR shall be installed at a permanent fixed position pointing downwards towards the ground;

(5)LPR shall not operate while being moved, or while inside a moving container;

(6)installers shall ensure that there are no unwanted obstacles in the main beam of the antenna in order to minimise unintentional reflections and scattering;

(7)the provider shall inform the users and installers of LPR about the installation requirements and additional special mounting instructions;

(8)the peak e.i.r.p. for elevations above 0° shall be limited to 0 dBm;

(9)for LPR using an antenna gain less than 20 dBi, the maximum conducted peak output power shall be limited to 15 dBm.Technical requirements for LPRDesignated frequency band | Maximum duty cycle | Maximum mean e.i.r.p. spectral density (Note 2) | Maximum peak e.i.r.p. (Note 3) | Minimum unwanted emissions attenuation (Note 1)| A | B | C | D116-148,5 GHz | 5 % | -8,0 dBm/MHz | 37 dBm | 20 dB167-182 GHz | 5 % | -6,0 dBm/MHz | 37 dBm | 20 dB231,5-250 GHz | 5 % | -6,0 dBm/MHz | 37 dBm | 20 dB

LPR are used to measure and determine the distance to the surface of a target material (for example, liquids and solids) located primarily in open-air areas or inside tanks with non-attenuating shells (for example, plastic tanks) and thus indirectly the amount or volume of the available material. LPR are also used to measure other physical characteristics such as the velocity of the surface or properties of the target material. LPR are intended for industrial and professional use only.

LPR shall not be subject to any individual right to use the designated parts of the 116-260 GHz frequency band if the following requirements are met:

4. Contour determination and acquisition radars (cdr)

(1)CDR shall be operated for industrial purposes only;

(2)installation and maintenance of CDR shall be performed by professionally trained individuals only;

(3)CDR shall not be marketed to private end-user customers;

(4)CDR shall be installed at a permanent fixed position;

(5)CDR shall not operate while being moved;

(6)installers shall ensure that there are no unwanted obstacles in the main beam of the antenna in order to minimise unintentional reflections and scattering;

(7)the provider shall inform the users and installers of CDR about the installation requirements and additional special mounting instructions;

(8)for CDR using an antenna gain less than 20 dBi, the maximum conducted peak output power shall be limited to 15 dBm.

CDR are used to measure and determine a multiplicity of distance values to the surface of a target material located primarily in open-air areas or inside tanks with non-attenuating shells (for example, plastic tanks). The distance information is used to form a digital contour representation of the bulk material surface and can subsequently be used to precisely determine the amount or volume of the available material in the respective measurement scenario. CDR are also used to measure other physical characteristics of the target surface. CDR are intended for industrial and professional use only.

CDR are classified into two categories: (a) digital beamforming CDR (DBF-CDR); and (b) mechanical and phased-array CDR (M-CDR and PA-CDR). This classification is based on the acquisition of the angular direction information, which can be achieved by mechanical tilting of a single antenna (M-CDR) and/or by electronic beam steering using parallel operation of multiple antenna elements (PA-CDR). In case of a multiplexed operation of multiple antenna elements, a digital beamforming (DBF-CDR) receiver architecture is achieved.

Neither category of CDR shall be subject to any individual right to use the designated parts of the 116-260 GHz frequency band if the following requirements are met:

4.1. Dbf-cdr

DBF-CDR shall be pointing vertically downwards towards the ground.

Technical requirements for DBF-CDR
Designated frequency band	Maximum duty cycle	Maximum mean e.i.r.p. spectral density (Note 2)	Maximum peak e.i.r.p. (Note 3)	Minimum unwanted emissions attenuation (Note 1)
	A	B	C	D
116-148,5 GHz	10 %	-32,6 dBm/MHz	15 dBm	20 dB
167-182 GHz	10 %	-29,0 dBm/MHz	15 dBm	20 dB
231,5-250 GHz	10 %	-23,0 dBm/MHz	15 dBm	20 dB

4.2. M-CDR and PA-CDR

(1)M-CDR and PA-CDR shall continuously maintain a spatially scanning behaviour of the antenna’s main beam direction throughout operation;

(2)the maximum tilting angle of the antenna’s main beam direction in relation to the vertical axis towards the ground shall never exceed 60°;

(3)the peak e.i.r.p. for elevations above 0° shall be limited to 0 dBm.

Technical requirements for M-CDR and PA-CDR
Designated frequency band	Maximum duty cycle	Maximum mean e.i.r.p. spectral density (Note 2)	Maximum peak e.i.r.p. (Note 3)	Minimum unwanted emissions attenuation (Note 1)
	A	B	C	D
116-148,5 GHz	10 %	-12,0 dBm/MHz	28,6 dBm	20 dB
167-182 GHz	10 %	-9,0 dBm/MHz	34,6 dBm	20 dB
231,5-250 GHz	10 %	-6,0 dBm/MHz	37 dBm	20 dB

The following additional requirements apply to M-CDR and PA-CDR:

5. Tank level probing radars (tlpr)

(1)TLPR shall be operated for industrial purposes only;

(2)installation and maintenance of TLPR shall be performed by professionally trained individuals only;

(3)TLPR shall not be marketed to private end-user customers;

(4)TLPR shall be installed at a permanent fixed position at a closed metallic tank or concrete tank, or a similar enclosure structure made of comparable attenuating material;

(5)flanges and attachments to the TLPR shall provide the necessary microwave sealing by design;

(6)when necessary, sight glasses shall be coated with a microwave-proof coating (that is to say electrically conductive or microwave absorbing coating);

(7)manholes or connection flanges attached to the tank shall be closed while the TLPR is in operation to ensure a low level of leakage of the signal into the free space outside the tank;

(8)the provider shall inform the users and installers of TLPR about the installation requirements and additional special mounting instructions;

(9)for TLPR using an antenna gain less than 20 dBi, the maximum conducted peak output power shall be limited to 15 dBm.Technical requirements for TLPRDesignated frequency band | Maximum duty cycle | Maximum mean e.i.r.p. spectral density (Note 2) | Maximum peak e.i.r.p. (Note 3) | Minimum unwanted emissions attenuation (Note 1)| A | B | C | D116-148,5 GHz | 100 % | 12 dBm/MHz | 42 dBm | 20 dB167-182 GHz | 100 % | 12 dBm/MHz | 42 dBm | 20 dB231,5-250 GHz | 100 % | 12 dBm/MHz | 42 dBm | 20 dB

TLPR are used to measure and determine the distance to the surface of a target material (for example, liquids and solids) inside shielded tanks and containers and thus indirectly the amount or volume of the available material. TLPR are also used to measure other physical characteristics such as velocity or properties of the target material. TLPR are intended for industrial and professional use only.

TLPR shall not be subject to any individual right to use the designated parts of the 116-260 GHz frequency band if the following requirements are met:

6. Radiodetermination systems for industry automation in shielded environments (rdi-s)

(1)the OFR shall be equal to or higher than 35 GHz, including discontinuities for the passive bands;

(2)RDI-S shall be operated for industrial purposes only;

(3)installation and maintenance of RDI-S shall be performed by professionally trained individuals only;

(4)RDI-S shall not be marketed to private end-user customers;

(5)RDI-S shall only be operated indoors (that is to say inside a building) or inside similarly shielded environments;

(6)installers shall ensure that the device’s main beam is not pointing towards windows or other weak shielded parts of the shielded environment; the direction of main radiation shall be indicated on the specific radiodetermination device;

(7)installers shall ensure that there are no unwanted obstacles in the main beam of the antenna in order to minimise unintentional reflections and scattering;

(8)the provider shall inform the users and installers of RDI-S about the installation requirements and additional special mounting instructions;

RDI-S are used to sense unique frequency-dependent material properties and/or wideband frequency responses (for example, S-parameters to extract other physical properties) of target objects inside buildings (indoors) or inside similarly shielded environments. Examples of RDI-S are radar sensors for plastic extrusion thickness measurement or for non-destructive testing. RDI-S are intended for industrial and professional use only.

RDI-S shall not be subject to any individual right to use the designated parts of the 116-260 GHz frequency band if the following requirements are met:

7. Exterior vehicular radars (evr)

(1)unwanted emission limits in the 116-122,25 GHz band for any type of radar depend on the maximum duty cycle and elevation. For radars with a maximum duty cycle (measured over the signal repetition time of the radar) of up to 50 %, for elevations up to 35° the maximum mean e.i.r.p. density shall stay below 50 dBm/MHz, and for elevations above 35° below -76 dBm/MHz. For radars with a maximum duty cycle higher than 50 %, for elevations up to 35° the maximum mean e.i.r.p. density shall stay below -53 dBm/MHz, and for elevations above 35° below -79 dBm/MHz;

(2)unwanted emissions in the 130-134 GHz band shall stay below a maximum mean power spectral density of -33 dBm/MHz e.i.r.p. for front radars and of -36 dBm/MHz e.i.r.p. for corner radars and short-range/ultra-short-range radars. Additionally, the maximum peak e.i.r.p. within 1 GHz shall be below 2 dBm for front radars and below -1 dBm for corner radars and short-range/ultra-short-range radars;

(3)unwanted emission limits in the 148,5-151 GHz band for any type of radar depend on the maximum duty cycle and elevation. For radars with a maximum duty cycle (measured over the signal repetition time of the radar) of up to 50 %, for elevations up to 35° the maximum mean e.i.r.p. density shall stay below -44 dBm/MHz, and for elevations above 35° below -70 dBm/MHz. For radars with a maximum duty cycle higher than 50 %, for elevations up to 35° the maximum mean e.i.r.p. density shall stay below -47 dBm/MHz, and for elevations above 35° below -73 dBm/MHz;

(4)EVR applications shall implement a mechanism to automatically disable the EVR transmission within the specified ‘exclusion zones’ around radio astronomy service (RAS) stations, or another mitigation technique providing equivalent protection for these stations without driver intervention;

EVR are classified into two categories: (a) front radars; and (b) corner radars and short-range/ultra-short-range radars. Front and corner radars are used for driving assistance applications requiring long- and medium-range measurement such as automatic cruise control, lane keep, lane change assist, automatic emergency braking, etc. Applications providing the vehicle with a higher degree of autonomy require short-range and ultra-short-range radars for front, side and rear view, to enable 360° sensing. These radars make it possible to obtain a wide field of view (elevation and azimuth) in the close proximity of the vehicle and enable features like automated parking assistance or autonomous valet parking.

EVR shall not be subject to any individual right to use the designated parts of the 116-260 GHz frequency band if the following requirements are met:

8. In-cabin vehicular radars (ivr)

(1)unwanted emissions in the 116-122,25 GHz band shall stay below a maximum mean e.i.r.p. density of -45 dBm/MHz;

(2)unwanted emissions in the 130-134 GHz band shall stay below a maximum mean e.i.r.p. density of -17 dBm/GHz and a peak e.i.r.p. of -4 dBm/GHz;

(3)unwanted emissions in the 148,5-151 GHz band shall stay below a maximum mean e.i.r.p. density of -39 dBm/MHz;

(4)downwards antenna orientation;

(5)for convertible cars, emissions occurring outside the car at elevations above 0° shall be 15 dB lower than the power levels specified in the table below;

(6)minimum bandwidth of 1 GHz;

(7)IVR applications shall implement a mechanism to automatically disable the IVR transmission within the specified ‘exclusion zones’ around RAS stations, or another mitigation technique providing equivalent protection for these stations without driver intervention.Technical requirements for IVRDesignated frequency band | Maximum mean e.i.r.p. spectral density | Maximum mean e.i.r.p. over the bandwidth | Maximum peak e.i.r.p. over the bandwidth122,25-130 GHz | -30 dBm/MHz | 3 dBm | 16 dBm134-148,5 GHz | -30 dBm/MHz | 3 dBm | 16 dBm

IVR include contactless gesture control, presence detection (including baby/child detection) and monitoring of vital signs, such as respiration rate, heart rate and heart rate variation. The use of higher frequency ranges further reduces the risk of interference with other automotive radars (for example, 77 GHz or 79 GHz radars) or wireless communication devices using the 60 GHz band. With the increasing miniaturisation, angular resolution offers the possibility to discriminate between multiple seats inside a car with a single radar sensor with beamforming or multiple input multiple output (MIMO) capability.

IVR shall not be subject to any individual right to use the designated parts of the 116-260 GHz frequency band if the following requirements are met:

Part II — protection of radio astronomy service (ras) stations

The table in this Part lists the RAS stations in EU Member States operating in the 116-260 GHz range.

Country	Observatory name and location	Geographic latitude	Geographic longitude
France	NOEMA, Plateau de Bure	44°38′02″ N	05°54′28″ E
France	MAÏDO, La Réunion	21°04′46″ S	55°23′01″ E
Spain	IRAM 30 m, Pico Veleta	37°04′06″ N	03°23′55″ W
Spain	GroundBIRD, Tenerife	28°18′01,8″ N	16°30′37,0″ W

Part III — exclusion zones around ras stations to be implemented by different categories of radiodetermination applications

The table in this Part specifies the radius of the applicable exclusion zones for each specific radiodetermination application.

Categories of radiodetermination devices	Exclusion zone around RAS station
Handheld/mobile generic indoor surveillance radars	1,6 km
Fixed generic indoor surveillance radars	10,7 km
Radiodetermination systems for industry automation (RDI)	20,0 km
Level probing radars (LPR)	13,0 km
Contour determination and acquisition radars (CDR)	20,0 km
Radiodetermination systems for industry automation in shielded environments (RDI-S)	13,2 km
Exterior vehicular radars (EVR)	3,0 km
In-cabin vehicular radars (IVR)	3,0 km

Part IV — restriction zones around ras stations in which exterior vehicular radars (evr) shall implement a power reduction mitigation technique

EVR shall implement a power reduction mitigation technique in restriction zones around RAS stations.