Dominican Republic: New Regulatory Framework for Low-Power and ISM Devices in the 915–928 MHz Band

On 27 August 2026, the Dominican Telecommunications Institute (INDOTEL) adopted Resolution No. 074-2026, establishing the operating parameters for low-power radiocommunication devices and Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM/ICM) applications in the 915–928 MHz band.

The measure follows the approval of the new National Frequency Allocation Plan (PNAF) by Decree No. 99-26 of 13 February 2026. The PNAF expressly identifies 915–928 MHz among the bands designated for ISM applications in the Dominican Republic, while leaving the applicable power limits and operating parameters to INDOTEL. Resolution No. 074-2026 provides that second layer of regulation: it translates the spectrum allocation into concrete conditions under which equipment may operate.

This distinction is important from a market-access perspective. A frequency allocation in the PNAF does not, by itself, answer how a particular device may use the band. The new Resolution now sets out the relevant power limits, access conditions, interference rules and technical safeguards for equipment intended to operate in this segment.

The regulatory development should be read against the earlier Dominican spectrum framework. The previous PNAF reflected the ITU Region 2 allocation around 902–928 MHz, while the national frequency table divided the relevant spectrum into national service allocations around the 915 MHz boundary. In addition, the long-standing rules for spread-spectrum equipment under Resolution No. 168-07 established operating bands at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz rather than creating a specific operating regime for spread-spectrum equipment in 915–928 MHz.

The practical change introduced through the 2026 PNAF and Resolution No. 074-2026 is therefore more than a restatement of an international ISM designation. INDOTEL has now created a specific national operating framework for 915–928 MHz, with differentiated conditions according to application and technology. This provides a clearer regulatory basis for equipment such as 900 MHz IoT devices, smart meters and industrial RFID systems.

The Resolution places operation in 915–928 MHz under the generic licence regime contemplated by Article 26 of the General Regulation on the Use of the Radioelectric Spectrum. Equipment meeting the applicable conditions may therefore operate without an individual spectrum licence or a specific authorization for the use of frequencies.

That flexibility is subject to an important legal limitation. The band is shared and non-exclusive, and its use does not create a right to protection from interference or a preferential right over other users of the same spectrum. The Resolution consequently combines easier access to spectrum with an obligation to coexist with other authorized uses.

INDOTEL also retains its statutory powers to manage harmful interference. Where interference is attributable to equipment operating under the generic licence framework, the regulator may require mitigation measures such as reduction of power, a change of frequency or channel, antenna reorientation or relocation, modification of operating parameters or, where necessary, temporary cessation of emissions.

Rather than applying one limit to every device in the band, INDOTEL adopted a differentiated approach based on the technology and application:

The 4 W allowance is deliberately narrow. It does not extend to the full 915–928 MHz band and does not create a general higher-power category for other digital systems. RFID equipment using this limit must remain within 920–926 MHz.

Equipment operating above 100 mW PIRE must incorporate technical mechanisms that support coexistence and efficient use of the spectrum. FHSS systems must use at least 20 hopping frequencies, and digital modulation systems may not exceed a peak radiated power spectral density of 25 mW per 3 kHz.

For industrial or commercial RFID systems operating under the higher-power allowance, unwanted emissions below 917.75 MHz may not exceed −37 dBm PIRE, while emissions above 926 MHz may not exceed −33 dBm PIRE. All equipment must be configured so that its operating frequencies remain within 915–928 MHz and must also comply with the unwanted and spurious emission limits of the technical standard applicable to its INDOTEL homologation.

Coexistence with adjacent licensed services was one of the principal issues considered during the public consultation. Industry comments requested additional protection around the lower edge of the band, including compatibility studies, emission masks and monitoring. INDOTEL did not make adoption of the framework conditional on a new compatibility study, but it expressly instructed its Spectrum Directorate to carry out recurrent technical monitoring, particularly around 915 MHz and the services operating in adjacent bands.

This is relevant because the technical limits in Resolution No. 074-2026 should not be viewed in isolation from INDOTEL’s continuing supervisory powers. The regulator may recommend adjustments if operational experience identifies coexistence problems.

The consultation record shows that INDOTEL considered different international regulatory approaches, including the U.S. FCC Part 15 framework and the Australian ACMA Low Interference Potential Devices Class Licence 2025. The final rules, however, are tailored to the Dominican spectrum plan.

For FHSS and digital modulation systems, INDOTEL adopted a 1 W PIRE limit and a minimum of 20 hopping frequencies, drawing on the Australian model. It expressly declined to add the 400 ms dwell-time condition proposed during consultation on the basis of the FCC approach. It also declined to impose, across all technologies operating between 915 and 920 MHz, the duty-cycle and bandwidth restrictions associated with the European approach discussed during consultation.

Adaptive power control (APC) was recognized as a good engineering practice but was not made mandatory. INDOTEL also rejected proposals for a registry of outdoor installations and for a general requirement that outdoor installations be performed by qualified personnel. In the regulator’s reasoning, compliance with the technical conditions is instead verified through equipment homologation and INDOTEL’s supervisory powers.

The generic licence regime concerns operation of the spectrum under predefined conditions; it should not be confused with an exemption from equipment compliance. The Resolution expressly links compliance with the technical conditions to equipment homologation and INDOTEL’s supervisory authority.

For Type Approval purposes, the technical evidence should therefore establish not only that the radio supports the relevant frequency range, but also that its maximum PIRE, modulation method, hopping characteristics, power spectral density and unwanted emissions are compatible with the category under which it will operate.

This is particularly relevant for equipment developed for broader regional configurations. A device may technically support frequencies outside 915–928 MHz even though its intended Dominican configuration does not use them. In such cases, manufacturers should be prepared to demonstrate how the product is restricted to the permitted operating range. For higher-power RFID, the same analysis must confirm that operation above 1 W is confined to 920–926 MHz.

Resolution No. 074-2026 gives manufacturers a more predictable route for introducing 900 MHz products into the Dominican Republic, particularly IoT, utility, telemetry and RFID equipment. At the same time, the new framework makes the product configuration itself a central compliance point.

Before filing an INDOTEL Type Approval application, manufacturers should verify that the submitted test reports and technical specifications allow the regulator to identify the applicable operating category and confirm the relevant limits. Where a global product supports several 900 MHz profiles, the Dominican frequency configuration should be clearly documented rather than inferred from a wider test range.

The Resolution therefore provides greater certainty, but it also requires a precise reading of the radio documentation. Frequency support alone is not enough: the permitted power depends on the technology and application, and the higher-power RFID regime is subject to its own frequency and emission restrictions.

INDOTEL adopted the 915–928 MHz parameters through a standalone resolution rather than waiting for the broader amendment of the General Regulation on the Use of the Radioelectric Spectrum. The Resolution explains that this approach was taken to enable timely operation of low-power and ISM equipment in the band.

For the market, the immediate effect is a clearer set of rules for 915–928 MHz. The longer-term point to watch will be how these conditions are applied in homologation practice and whether the recurrent monitoring ordered by INDOTEL results in future technical adjustments, particularly at the 915 MHz boundary.