APEC TEL 51

MRA Task Force Meeting

Boracay Island, Philippines

12May - 13May 2015

14:00 to 17:30 - Opening Plenary, Tuesday, 12May, 2015

9:00 to 12:00 - Working Session,Wednesday, 13May, 2015

14:00 to 17:30 - Closing Plenary, Wednesday, 13May, 2015

The MRA Task Force (MRATF) meeting will take place in two plenary sessions over two days. We also have a working session scheduled for discussing the MRA guides for industry and CABs. The market surveillance scheme of APEC economies and draft ofMarket Surveillance Guideline for MRA TF will also be discussed in this working session. Inter-sessional work on specific tasks can then be identified at the openingplenary session.

Draft Agenda

  1. Welcome and Introduction
  2. Roundtable Introduction
  3. Finalization and recap of the report on MRATF meeting held in BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA on 29and 30 September, 2014.
  4. Review draft agenda and contributes for this meeting.
  5. Discuss tasks of working session

Task1: Review MRA guides for industry and CABs

Task2: Project G: Drafting the Market Surveillance Guideline

  1. Economies’ Update on MRA

Economies are invited to give the Task Force an update on MRA developments since the last MRATF Meetingincluding:

2.1Schedule for voluntary participation in APEC Tel MRA-CA by member economies

2.2Technical regulations (Annex I of MRA) by member economies

2.3Progress of Phase I implementation

2.4Progress of Phase II implementation

2.5Update of Progress of MRA-ETR implementation

Contribution presentation

FCC’s regulation update of 2.948 listed laboratories, USA, FCC, Ira Keltz

  1. Case studies on the use of MRA on Conformity Assessment by industry

This is a standing agenda itemseeking industry input into their successes and failures in use of the MRA-CA.

3.1The APEC Secretariat wrote an APEC feature success story on the TEL MRA and released the article in conjunction with TEL MIN at the end of March. Delegates can find the article on our website link below:


  1. Task Force projects
  2. Project E – MRA for Equivalence of Technical Requirements (MRA-ETR)

This is a standing agenda item seeking member economies’ feedback on adoption of MRA-ETR. Although the MRA-ETR implementation guideline has been completed, no member economies officially adopted the MRA-ETR currently. Member economiesare encouragedto inform Chair of the status of implementing it or using the concept of it while adopting the international standards.

Contribution presentation:

4.1 TBD

4.2Project F – Stock-take of MRA implementation and benefits

This is a standing agenda item seeking all stakeholders’ input on the benefit of implementation of APEC TEL MRA. Member economiesare invitedto share studies related to the impact of APEC TEL MRAs. We have Korea and Chinese Taipei’s contribution in previous meetings.

Economic effect of MRA, Korea, Yong-Kyu Lee

4.3Project G – Guidelines for Market Surveillance

This project is to draft market surveillance’s best practice guideline. This guideline is based on Canada’s contribution presented at APEC TEL 41 and the discussion that took place on that subject. In TEL 46, Chair proposed “Guideline for market surveillance” which was discussed in TEL43. The document was intended to provide economies with best practice in terms of market surveillance, with results from survey done earlier. In TEL 48, task force decided to develop Project G to support the regulators in member economies on market surveillance issues. After TEL 49, a renewal survey of the market surveillance activities in APEC economieswas performed inter-seasonally. A working session will be dedicated to drafting the market surveillance guideline and discussion of the collected information about the market surveillance guideline.

Working session:

4.3.1 Drafting the market surveillance guideline,MRA TF

  1. MRA joint Committee

A Joint Committee, consisting of representatives ofeach economy, will meet at the request of the APEC TEL WGto assist in the effectiveimplementation of the Arrangement. All decisions of the Joint Committee will be made by consensus, unlessthe economies mutually decide otherwise. It is used to help resolve implementation issues and operation issues and can be very formal or less formal.

Discussion

5.1Review and update of APEC TEL MRA documents, MRA TF

In previous TELs, MRA TF completed many guidelines for manufacturers, conformity assessment body, regulators and consumers. These publications provide information on the MRA and procedures for economies to follow to enable them to participate.Currently, official MRA documents are listed below:

MRA for Conformity Assessment
MRA Implementation Guide
MRA Guide for Manufacturers
MRA Guide for Assessment Bodies
MRA for Equivalence of Technical Requirements

All delegates can access them in the APEC TEL MRA website:

Among these documents, MRA Guide for Manufacturers and MRA Guide for Assessment Bodies were reviewed and modified in previous meeting but have never been published officially. These two modified guides will be viewed by MRA TF delegates in this TEL. The confirmed guides will be sent to APEC secretary for approval and will be published officially on APEC TEL MRA website after TEL 51.

5.2Scope of APEC TEL MRA and Missions of Task force

Originally, the equipment scope of TEL MRA covers equipment subject to telecommunications regulations of each party. It may include radio equipment, telecommunications equipment, and telephone terminal equipment. As the emergence of new technologies, digital convergence and the development of IoT(Internet of Things), more and more equipments may be covered in TEL MRA.

For the parameters coved in TEL MRA, originally they included Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and electrical safety regulations. Otherparameters such as SAR may apply accordingly.In TEL 50, MRA TF discussed whether the regulations of new technology such as information security and third-party mobile Apps are covered in the TEL MRA but Task Force didn’t reach a consensus. Further discussion will be needed as the conclusion will decide the mission and operation of MRA TF.

5.3New Name of MRA TF

Current missions of MRA TF include promoting MRA on Conformity Assessment procedure, ETR, benefit analysis, market surveillance etc. Current MRA TF is a platform for all regulators to share experience and information, to solve the issues after TEL MRA implementation and to create a harmonizedconformity assessment system in Asia pacific region.In TEL 50 HOD meeting, it mentioned that the name MRA task force might narrow Task Force’s development. Task force needs to discuss whether we need a new name to reflect Task Force’s job correctly.

  1. Training

TF participants are invited to identify any training needs relevant to either implementation of the existing MRA on conformity assessment or the newMRA for Equivalence of Technical Requirements (MRA-ETR).

The training in TEL 51 was successful. The MRATF would discuss whether it would be necessary to hold training sessions or workshops on both MRA-CA and MRA-ETR formember economies in TEL 52.

Contribution presentation:

TBD

  1. Review of projects for TEL approval

Member economies are invited to propose and discuss projects related to the work of the MRATF.

  1. Update on the Development of Regional MRAs
  2. The ASEAN Telecommunications Regulatory Council MRA (ATRC MRA)
  3. WTO liaison. TF Chair was invited by WTO as a guest speaker in WTO ITA Workshop on NTB to share Asia Pacific experience. The WTO information will be shared in this TEL.
  4. Japan MIC MRA workshop liaison.
  1. Web based information management

Member economies are invited to check whether their MRA webpages can be accessed via the APEC TEL MRA webpage at if found necessary, provide the correct URL linkages to their websites to the TF Chair.

  1. Other business
  2. Point of contact of each member economy to MRA TF
  1. Next meeting

-APEC TEL 52

-Nomination of next TF vice-chair

  1. Adjournment

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