The new RED 3.3 regulation issued by the EU is raising plenty of questions and concerns among radio equipment manufacturers. Fortunately, if you’re wondering how to comply with RED 3.3, we have a few insights we’d like to share with you. 8devices’ expert engineers have helped break down the key facts about RED 3.3, what it means for your business, and how you can ensure compliance.
What is RED 3.3?
RED 3.3 refers to the new Article 3.3 of the Radio Equipment Directive. This is a recent update to a long-standing regulation created to govern radio devices on the EU market. Its purpose was to ensure that everything from smartphones to IoT gadgets met essential requirements for health and safety, electromagnetic compatibility, and efficient use of the radio spectrum. RED 3.3 updated this regulation with new articles focusing on data security and privacy.
RED 3.3 compliance challenges
Starting August 1, 2025, radio equipment manufacturers will need to ensure that their equipment complies to the new security- and privacy-oriented requirements of RED 3.3. That might be a concern for companies that haven’t given these features any thought, but if you have a track record of strong security solutions in your products, then you may already be part or all of the way there.
The most impactful provisions of RED 3.3 – (d), (e), and (f) – deal with data protection, network integrity, and fraud prevention. Manufacturers of connected devices like Wi-Fi modules, IoT gadgets, and industrial routers are now required to build enhanced cybersecurity features, robust data handling safeguards, and other mechanisms at the hardware and firmware levels to ensure their equipment does not harm networks. Again, anyone not already implementing these features may face challenges in implementing them, but many of these requirements are met by industry-standard security features.
How can you comply with RED 3.3?
Compliance will look different for every company because it will depend on the exposure and vulnerabilities inherent in their use case and technologies. In some sectors like the automotive, aerospace, or military industries, RED compliance may be superseded by more specific or demanding regulations within that sector.
In the broadest sense, the principles covered by RED 3.3 seek to ensure the following characteristics:
- Your device keeps the user’s data secure;
- Your device manages and controls its connection to prevent disruptions;
- Your device is capable of securely receiving updates that you provide with the goal of maintaining its security.
We can’t offer a specific set of technical features for your particular use case, but we do have a PDF you can download that will help you set your priorities and identify the features you need to build to ensure RED 3.3 compliance.
Getting help with RED 3.3 compliance
We can recommend two specific steps that you can take right now if you’re having trouble with your RED 3.3 compliance or want to expedite your compliance process:
- Adopt FirmUx: FirmUx is a Linux-based framework developed by 8devices. It offers a broad range of connectivity and security features, and you’re almost certain to find something valuable for your use case. Most importantly, however, is that because it is one of our products, we are responsible for ensuring that FirmUx is RED compliant. Licensing and implementing FirmUx will significantly reduce the compliance workload for your company as you develop your project. Click here for FirmUx
- Book an engineering consultation with 8devices: We offer the assistance of our deeply experienced engineers, developers, and R&D specialists on a per-hour basis. If you need help identifying and implementing the specific steps you need to take to achieve RED compliance, this is the most comprehensive forms of assistance that we can offer. Click here to book tech support
Compliance can be a challenge for any company – even established market players. With the right partner and planning, however, you can make compliance easier and unlock all the potential of the EU market.
