ISED Issues Guidance on Test Reduction for Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) Assessment

Release Date: October 22, 2025                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Document No.: Newsletter_200510001

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) has issued guidance regarding test reduction for SAR assessment in accordance with Section 5.1 of RSS-102.SAR.MEAS. This guidance clarifies ISED's position on when SAR testing can be reduced under specific conditions.

Conditions for Test Reduction:

For any device that has been tested at 5 mm or less for 1g body SAR, testing at 0 mm for 10g extremity/limb SAR becomes optional, provided the following conditions are met:

l   The operating frequencies are below 6 GHz;

l   The same power levels and tune-up tolerances apply to both body and extremity/limb use-cases;

To apply this test reduction, the RF exposure technical brief must include a description demonstrating how all the above requirements are met.

Exclusions from Test Reduction:

l   Hand exposure during next-to-head voice calls, as described in Section 5.10 of RSS-102.SAR.MEAS;

l   Exposure above 6 GHz, subject to absorbed power density (APD) limits.

This guidance helps streamline SAR testing requirements for certain devices while ensuring compliance with ISED's RF exposure standards.