Hong Kong OFCA Updates HKCA Certification Standards

Hong Kong: OFCA Publishes Updated HKCA Standards for ISM, E-UTRA FDD, and E-UTRA TDD Equipment

Hong Kong's Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA) has issued revised technical specifications covering three categories of equipment regulated under the Hong Kong Telecommunications Equipment Evaluation and Certification (HKTEC) Scheme. According to the update, the following standards were published on August 31, 2026:

• HKCA 1007, Issue 6: Conformance Specification for Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) Equipment

• HKCA 1056, Issue 3: Performance Specification for Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) Base Station and Repeater

• HKCA 1072, Issue 2: Performance Specification for Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) Time Division Duplex (TDD) Base Station

  
  

Regulatory Background

OFCA regulates telecommunications and ISM equipment in Hong Kong under the Telecommunications Ordinance (Cap. 106). Equipment falling within scope of the HKCA 10xx series including radiocommunications apparatus and ISM equipment that intentionally emits radio frequency energy must meet the technical requirements set out in the applicable HKCA specification before it can be certified, labelled, or lawfully deployed in Hong Kong under the HKTEC Scheme.

HKCA 1007 has historically governed ISM equipment such as industrial heating, RF-based processing, and medical devices that emit RF energy as part of their function. HKCA 1056 and HKCA 1072 govern network infrastructure equipment specifically LTE (E-UTRA) base stations and repeaters used by mobile network operators and infrastructure vendors to deliver 4G/LTE services across FDD and TDD spectrum configurations.

OFCA Hong Kong HKCA Certification Standards: What Changed

While the full technical redlines are available only in the official specification documents, updates of this kind typically involve one or more of the following:

• Revised or expanded frequency band coverage and channel bandwidth parameters

• Updated spurious emission and out-of-band emission limits

• Alignment with current 3GPP and/or ETSI reference standards for E-UTRA equipment

• Clarified evaluation procedures and test methodologies for certification bodies and local testing labs

• Housekeeping changes to bring the specification in line with OFCA's current HKTEC documentation structure

  
  

Manufacturers and certification bodies should review the full text of each issue directly against the previous version (HKCA 1007 Issue 5, HKCA 1056 Issue 2, and HKCA 1072 Issue 1) to identify the specific clause-level changes relevant to their equipment.

What This Means for Manufacturers

For manufacturers and suppliers with equipment in scope of HKCA 1007, HKCA 1056, or HKCA 1072, this update carries several practical implications:

• New applications for type approval or certification under the HKTEC Scheme should reference the new issue numbers going forward.

• Previously certified equipment may need to be reassessed if the new issue introduces stricter technical or evaluation requirements this is common practice when OFCA revises a specification, though transition arrangements vary by update.

• Test reports and evaluation records submitted to Local Certification Bodies (LCBs) or recognized testing laboratories should be checked against the updated clauses to avoid delays in the certification process.

• Product roadmaps for ISM devices and LTE base station/repeater equipment destined for the Hong Kong market should factor in a review cycle against the new specifications before submission.

  
  

Certification Impact Summary

Standard	Equipment Scope	Certification Scheme	Manufacturer Action Needed
HKCA 1007, Issue 6	Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) equipment emitting RF energy	HKTEC Scheme (OFCA)	Review new conformance clauses; reassess existing test reports
HKCA 1056, Issue 3	E-UTRA FDD base stations and repeaters	HKTEC Scheme (OFCA)	Verify performance parameters against updated FDD requirements
HKCA 1072, Issue 2	E-UTRA TDD base stations	HKTEC Scheme (OFCA)	Confirm TDD equipment meets revised performance specification

Timeline and Required Actions

Date / Milestone	Action
August 31, 2026	OFCA officially publishes HKCA 1007 Issue 6, HKCA 1056 Issue 3, and HKCA 1072 Issue 2
Immediate	Manufacturers and LCBs obtain and review the full text of each updated specification
Before next submission	New type-approval or certification applications should reference the updated issue numbers
Ongoing	Manufacturers with existing certifications assess whether re-evaluation is required under the new issues
Ongoing	Confirm with the relevant Local Certification Body (LCB) whether transition provisions apply to previously certified equipment

Recommended Next Steps

1. Obtain the official PDF text of HKCA 1007 Issue 6, HKCA 1056 Issue 3, and HKCA 1072 Issue 2 directly from OFCA's website.

2. Compare against the prior issues (Issue 5, Issue 2, and Issue 1 respectively) to isolate the specific technical and evaluation changes.

3. Contact your Local Certification Body (LCB) or recognized testing laboratory to confirm submission requirements and any transition period for equipment already certified.

4. Update internal compliance documentation and product test plans to reflect the current issue numbers before submitting new applications.