Find out how the drone approval process works
A document has been published that aims to guide the user of the Certification and Homologation Management System to approve products for their own use and without the right to commercialization. The roadmap was organized in a simplified way by stages to be followed until the conclusion of the approval process.
Certification and homologation guarantee the consumer the purchase and use of telecommunications products that respect quality and safety standards and regulated technical features. The Regulation on Certification and Homologation, approved by Resolution No. 242/2000, establishes that the issue of the homologation document is a mandatory prerequisite for telecommunications products in Brazil.
The user must only purchase or use telecommunications products approved by Anatel, in accordance with the Regulation on Certification and Homologation.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), also called Drones, have radio frequency transmitter modules in the remote controls and, in some cases, in the air vehicle itself, for the transmission of images. The homologation of the transmitting modules by Anatel is required by virtue of Law 9.472 (General Telecommunications Law – LGT) which establishes the prohibition on the use of radio frequency emitting equipment without certification issued or accepted by the Agency (Art. 162, Paragraph 2 of Law No. 9.472).
The Agency’s regulation also establishes that products imported for use by the importer, without direct marketing and provision of telecommunications services, will be homologated directly by Anatel (item 8.4.5 of the Attachment to Resolution No. 323, of November 7, 2002 ). Instructions for homologating drones for own use are available on Anatel’s website (www.anatel.gov.br).
In the approval process by Anatel, the transmission characteristics of the equipment are checked, among others, in view of the regulation issued by the Agency on the conditions of use of the radio spectrum. These rules seek to prevent interference in telecommunications services and in various applications, such as satellite communications. If the product complies with the Agency’s current regulations, a Homologation Certificate is issued.
Anatel clarifies that approval is a requirement for the purpose of using the product only in terms of telecommunications characteristics (in the case of the use of the radio spectrum).
The use of this equipment must also meet other conditions for the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, related to airworthiness and use of air space, defined by the competent Brazilian authorities.
Before using their equipment, even if approved by Anatel, users should contact the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC), by e-mail rpas@anac.gov.br, and the Department of Control of the Espaço Aéreo (DECEA), by e-mail rpas@decea.gov.br, to check the necessary requirements for the use of the product in relation to the issues of use of Brazilian airspace.
Source: ANATEL
