Beacons are one of the Indoor Positioning Systems technologies out there. Originally created by Apple and branded as iBeacons, many manufacturers, like Estimote, have ever since created iBeacon compatible devices. This means that Mobile Apps can be developed beyond Apple's framework. 

iBeacons are most commonly used in Retail to deliver offline mobile notifications to customers within the store with instant offers.

The underlying technology for iBeacons is a form of BlueTooth known as BlueTooth Low Energy or LE and as with any other radio transmitting technology, it has its regulations.

The first thing you need to understand is that each country or region has its own regulations for BlueTooth LE. The following countries have BlueTooth LE regulations:

• FCC (USA)
• ETSI (Europe)
• JRL (Japan)
• Taiwan
• China
• Korea

Each of this regulators considers the following topics:

• Link Layer
• Physical Layer
  • Frequency Band
  • Modulation
  • Maximum Conducted Output Power
  • Power Spectral Density
  • Minimum Modulation Bandwith
  • Spurious Conducted Emissions
  • Secondary Radiated Emission for Receiving Equipment
  • Frequency Tolerance

Adittionally, the FCC, ETSI and JRL recommend a number of Immunity Tests:

RF ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD

This test assesses the ability of the Equipment Under Test (EUT) to operate as intended in the presence of a radio frequency electromagnetic field disturbance.

ELECTROSTATIC DISCHARGE

This test assesses the ability of the EUT to operate as intended in the event of an electrostatic discharge.

We'll cover the basics in upcoming blog posts about Regulation for BlueTooth Low Energy Beacons