Public Consultation No. 41/2026 – Wi-Fi Standard Power Equipment

Public Consultation No. 41 proposes amendments to ANATEL Act No. 14,448, which establishes the technical requirements for restricted radiation radiocommunication equipment, as well as to the applicable test procedures.

The main objective is to establish the technical and test requirements for Wi-Fi Standard Power equipment operating with Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC).

The proposal introduces the concepts of Standard Power Access Point, Fixed Client Device, Proxy, and AFC System.

Standard Power equipment would be allowed to operate in the 5.925–6.425 GHz band, provided that it operates exclusively on the frequencies and power levels authorized by an AFC System.

Key Proposed Requirements

Equipment / Condition	Maximum Average EIRP	Maximum EIRP PSD
Standard Power Access Point	36 dBm	23 dBm/MHz
Fixed Client Device	36 dBm	23 dBm/MHz
Client Device operating under a Standard Power AP	30 dBm	17 dBm/MHz
Outdoor operation above 30° elevation	21 dBm (125 mW)	—

For a Client Device operating under a Standard Power Access Point, its emissions must also be limited to a level 6 dB below the EIRP authorized by the AFC System for the associated Standard Power Access Point.

Outdoor Operation

An important point introduced by the proposal is that Wi-Fi Standard Power equipment may operate in outdoor environments.

However, when operating outdoors, the equipment must limit its maximum EIRP to 21 dBm (125 mW) at any elevation angle above 30 degrees, measured from the horizon.

Therefore, although the general maximum EIRP for a Standard Power Access Point or Fixed Client Device is proposed as 36 dBm, the 21 dBm limitation applies to transmissions directed at elevation angles above 30° in outdoor operation.

This provides a specific regulatory condition for the use of Standard Power Wi-Fi equipment in outdoor deployments.

AFC Authorization and Operational Requirements

Under the proposed requirements, Standard Power Access Points and Fixed Client Devices must:

• Register with an authorized AFC System before starting transmission;
• Operate only on the frequencies and power levels authorized by the AFC System;
• Provide information such as geographic coordinates, antenna height, serial number and ANATEL homologation number;
• Validate the digital certificate of the AFC server;
• Establish secure communication using HTTPS/TLS;
• Query the AFC System at least every 24 hours;
• Stop Standard Power transmission if the AFC communication is not restored within the specified period;
• Prevent unauthorized firmware/software changes that could compromise compliance with the AFC requirements; and
• Have appropriate geolocation capabilities.

The proposed test procedures also introduce an AFC Test Harness, which will be used to simulate an AFC System and verify the equipment’s behavior and compliance with the applicable AFC requirements.

Public Consultation No. 42/2026 – AFC System

Public Consultation No. 42 complements Consultation No. 41 by establishing the technical, operational and registration requirements for AFC Systems themselves.

The AFC System will use information from ANATEL’s Technical and Administrative Database (BDTA) to determine the frequencies and maximum permitted power for a specific location and period, considering the protection of incumbent systems.

The proposed AFC System must be capable of determining equipment operating power from 36 dBm down to at least 21 dBm, using power steps no greater than 3 dB.

The proposal also establishes requirements for the registration, testing, evaluation and operation of AFC System operators.

Impact on Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 7 and 8 Devices

Manufacturers of Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 / 8 devices should pay particular attention to this change.

If these proposals are approved as drafted, certification of Wi-Fi Standard Power APs, Fixed Client devices and Client devices operating under a Standard Power AP will involve not only the traditional RF requirements, but also verification of the equipment’s AFC functionality, secure communication, geolocation, power/frequency control and behavior in the event of AFC communication loss.

Therefore, the equipment’s hardware, firmware and software configuration will need to be considered as part of the conformity assessment.

If you have any ongoing or upcoming Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 7 and 8 projects for Brazil, please feel free to contact us so we can evaluate the potential impact on your specific product.