The Radio Frequency Service

Regulations for the Radio Frequency Service were approved by Russian Federation Government Decree No. 434 dated 14 May 2014.

The Radio Frequency Service is an agency under the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media specifically authorized to regulate the use of radio frequencies and radio electronic equipment; it is a unified system of entities under the jurisdiction of the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media functioning to ensure proper use of radio frequencies and radio frequency channels, radio electronic equipment and/or civilian high-frequency devices, to review and monitor compliance with laws within the scope of authority of the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media, and to provide public services.

The Radio Frequency Service implements organizational and technical measures to ensure proper use of radio frequencies or radio frequency channels, radio electronic equipment and/or high-frequency devices in the territory of the Russian Federation and in areas under the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation, to assist in detecting violations involving the use of the radio frequency spectrum, provision of telecom services, and the use of mass media and communications.

The Radio Frequency Service monitors emissions from radio electronic equipment and/or high-frequency devices (radio monitoring), ensures proper use of radio frequencies or radio frequency channels, radio electronic equipment and/or high-frequency devices, assists in providing international legal support of radio frequency/frequency channel assignments, monitors communications networks that do not use the radio frequency spectrum, monitors mass media and communications, information and telecom networks and the media scene for compliance with Russian laws governing telecommunications, IT, mass media, and personal data management, participates in delivering public services provided by the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media, and in performing government functions.

The Radio Frequency Service shall have the authority to:

  • perform radio monitoring;
  • evaluate radio electronic equipment’s electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), including EMC between radio electronic equipment of foreign states and the Russian Federation;
  • perform frequency and geographical separation planning for radio electronic equipment;
  • conduct expert reviews of requested uses of radio electronic equipment; check it for EMC with operating and/or planned radio electronic equipment and issue the findings;
  • participate in international coordination of assignments of radio frequencies or frequency channels;
  • prepare and/or review documents to provide international legal protection of radio frequency or frequency channel assignments to radio electronic equipment, including orbital positions for spacecraft, if protection of such assignments is provided for by the ITU Radio Regulations and international agreements;
  • participate in developing regulations for ensuring EMC by selecting adequate locations of radio electronic equipment and operating frequencies (frequency and geographical separation standards);
  • form identification call signs for radio electronic equipment in accordance with the procedure established by the RF Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications;
  • create a unified automated system for gathering, processing, recording, and storing data concerning assignments of radio frequencies or frequency channels to radio electronic equipment and identification call signs, and support the functioning of such system;
  • organize R&D and experimental work;
  • inform radio frequency spectrum users, on behalf of the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media, about any suspensions of radio electronic equipment operations;
  • review terms of reference for designing radio electronic equipment and/or high-frequency devices and performance specifications for their commercial production in terms of EMC requirements;
  • perform measurements of electromagnetic fields to determine radio electronic equipment service areas;
  • organize and perform on-site EMC testing (field testing) of radio electronic equipment and/or high-frequency devices;
  • acquire new radio frequency channels and explore radio spectrum and orbital positions for civilian spacecraft;
  • check radio electronic equipment and civilian-purpose high-frequency devices brought into the Russian Federation for compliance with the specifications and terms of use approved by State Radio Frequency Commission Decisions and issue the findings;
  • calculate one-off and annual fees payable for using the radio frequency spectrum in the Russian Federation using the calculation methodology approved by the RF Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications;
  • inform the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media, in accordance with the Federal Service’s procedure, about any radio frequency spectrum users’ failure to pay or underpayment of one-off or annual radio frequency spectrum use fees;
  • notify radio frequency spectrum users, in accordance with the procedure established by the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media, that they must pay one-off or annual radio frequency spectrum use fees;
  • participate, in accordance with the procedure established by the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media, in exercising the Federal Service’s powers, including the following activities:
    • check telecom operators for compliance with existing metrological requirements to service accounting equipment;
    • check compliance with the requirement that public telecom networks, engineering service networks, and special-purpose networks (when connected to a public network) use telecom equipment duly certified for compliance with existing requirements;
    • check telecom operators for compliance with existing telecom license terms and requirements;
    • check telecom operators for compliance with the traffic transmission and routing requirements;
    • check telecom operators for compliance with the rules of telecom networks’ connection to  public networks, including connection terms and conditions;
    • check telecom operators for conformity of the numbering resource allocated to them with Russia’s integrated telecom network’s existing numbering resource procedures;
    • check telecom operators for compliance with the telecom network management requirements;
    • check telecom operators for compliance with the requirements regarding protection against unauthorized access to telecom networks and their traffic;
    • check telecom operators for compliance with the requirements regarding the use of telecom networks and facilities for criminal investigations;
    • check telecom operators for compliance with Russian laws against money laundering and financing of terrorism;
    • check telecom operators for compliance with Russian laws governing mass media and mass communications, protection of children from information harmful to their health and/or development, including organization and performance of expert reviews, analysis and studies of information products distributed in mass media and information and telecommunications networks;
    • check TV and radio broadcasting licensees for compliance with the licenses’ terms requirements;
  • participate as expert organizations in actions to supervise activities within the jurisdiction of the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media;
  • support the functioning of the Situation Centre of the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media;
  • conduct expert reviews of draft decisions, information briefs, and other documents prepared by the State Radio Frequency Commission.

The Radio Frequency Service was formed by Russian Federation Government Decree No. 1002 dated 25 December 2000, creating a State Radio Frequency Service under the Russian Federation Ministry for Communications and Information System Development. The integrated Radio Frequency Service system comprises the General Radio Frequency Centre Federal State Unitary Enterprise and its Representative Office for the Republic of Crimea and the Federal-status city of Sevastopol, and the Central Federal District Radio Frequency Center Federal State Unitary Enterprise, which has Branches in the Federal Districts and regional offices in every constituent region of Russia. The Radio Frequency Service employs more than 3,000.

Radio frequency service (presentation 6 Mb)