Draft Rules Propose Exemption for Automotive Radar Systems in 77-81 GHz Band

The Department of Telecommunications, under the Central Government, recently published draft rules titled the Use of Short-Range Automotive Radar System in the 77 to 81 GHz band (Exemption from Assignment Requirement) Rules, 2025. These proposed rules, issued via G.S.R. 866(E) on November 25, 2025, are intended to be made in exercise of powers conferred by the Telecommunications Act, 2023. The notification serves to inform all potentially affected persons and initiates a thirty-day period for public consideration, during which objections or suggestions regarding the draft rules will be received and reviewed by the Central Government. Upon their finalization and publication in the Official Gazette, these rules are slated to come into force immediately.

The core provision of the draft rules, outlined in Section 4, establishes a significant exemption: The legislation provided: “No frequency assignment shall be required by any person to establish, maintain, work, possess or deal in any wireless equipment for the purpose of short-range automotive radar system in the 77 to 81 GHz frequency band on non-interference, non-protection and shared (non-exclusive) basis, and using the technical parameters as specified in the Table below, namely:” This means that individuals or entities will not need a specific license or permission (frequency assignment) to operate wireless equipment for short-range automotive radar systems within the 77 to 81 GHz frequency band. This exemption is contingent upon the systems operating on a non-interference, non-protection, and shared basis, implying that users must not cause harmful interference to other licensed services, are not protected from interference from other authorized users, and share the frequency band. The use of such systems is explicitly limited to vehicles, which are broadly defined to include passenger cars, buses, trucks, aircraft while taxing, railroad trains, construction vehicles, motorcycles, scooters, and boats or ships operating within India's territorial waters. The rules also define technical terms such as "equivalent isotropic radiated power" (e.i.r.p), which refers to the total power radiated by a hypothetical isotropic antenna to achieve the same signal strength, and "power spectral density," representing the total energy output per unit bandwidth.

The legislative intent behind these draft rules is to streamline the deployment and use of advanced automotive safety and assistance systems that rely on short-range radar technology. By exempting these systems from individual frequency assignment requirements, the Central Government aims to foster innovation and facilitate the widespread adoption of technologies such as adaptive cruise control, collision avoidance, and parking assistance. This move addresses a potential statutory gap where the previous legal position might have necessitated individual frequency assignments, thereby introducing a more agile regulatory framework. The rules introduce new obligations for manufacturers and users, requiring wireless equipment to be type-approved and designed to conform to specified technical limits and safety standards, which are to align with international or national benchmarks like ITU, ETSI, ANSI, BIS, TEC, or ICNIRP. An application format for equipment type approval is appended to the rules. Furthermore, an enforcement mechanism is established to manage potential interference: if a licensed system experiences harmful interference from an exempted device, the Authority (as notified by the Central Government) can direct the user of the exempted equipment to take corrective measures, such as relocating the equipment, reducing power, or using specialized antennae, with the possibility of recommending discontinuation of use if interference persists, after providing a reasonable opportunity to the user.

Keywords: Automotive radar, 77-81 GHz, frequency exemption, Telecommunications Act 2023, draft rules, Department of Telecommunications, vehicle safety, intelligent transportation systems, India Geo Tags: India, Not Applicable District: Not Applicable