Understanding the NBTC SRD Draft Standard for the 57 to 64 GHz Band

What the NBTC SRD Draft Covers

Among the five draft announcements NBTC has circulated for radar and radiocommunication equipment, one in particular deserves closer attention from consumer electronics and automotive suppliers: the NBTC SRD draft standard for short range devices operating in the 57 to 64 GHz band. Unlike the other radar drafts, which update rules for equipment already covered under existing type approval categories, this one creates a category that previously had no dedicated Thai standard at all.

What Counts as a Short Range Device

Short range devices, commonly abbreviated SRD, are low-power radio equipment designed to operate over short distances without needing a full spectrum license. This is the category the NBTC SRD draft is built around. In most regulatory frameworks, SRDs are treated separately from general radiocommunication equipment because their limited range and power output make interference risk low enough to justify a simpler compliance path. Thailand currently regulates several SRD categories, but equipment operating in the millimeter-wave range above 57 GHz has not had a matching domestic standard, which has left some manufacturers relying on international test reports without a clear local reference point.

The 57 to 64 GHz Draft Standard Explained

The draft standard sets minimum technical characteristics for radar and radiocommunication equipment permitted for general use within the 57 to 64 GHz band. This frequency range sits in the millimeter-wave spectrum, which allows for very fine spatial resolution over short distances, making it well suited to sensing applications rather than long-range communication. NBTC’s draft is built around allowing broader use of this band under a license-exempt model, provided devices stay within the power limits the standard defines.

Device Categories This Draft Affects

Three practical use cases sit behind this draft:

• Gesture sensing – used in consumer electronics and smart home devices to detect hand or body movement without a camera.
• 60 GHz Wi-Fi – a short-range, high-bandwidth wireless standard used for applications like wireless docking and high-speed local data transfer.
• High-resolution short-range radar – increasingly used in automotive in-cabin monitoring to detect occupant presence and position, as well as in industrial presence and proximity sensing.

Any of these product categories entering the Thai market would fall under this draft once finalized, rather than under the general non-specific radar or land-transport radar standards.

SDoC Versus Full Type Approval

One of the more practical points in this draft is the compliance path it proposes. Devices in this SRD category are expected to remain under Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity, meaning manufacturers self-certify against the technical standard rather than submit the product for full NBTC type approval review. This is a materially lighter compliance burden than what applies to licensed radar categories such as automotive collision-avoidance radar, and it matters for product timelines since SDoC generally allows faster market entry once the underlying standard is in force.

How the NBTC SRD Draft Fits Into the Wider Radar Consultation

This SRD draft was one of five announcements NBTC opened for public hearing alongside standards for general-use radar, non-specific application radar, and land transport and traffic telematics radar. The public comment window closed on July 3, 2026, and NBTC has not yet published a finalized version or an effective date. The SRD draft is narrower in scope but arguably more consequential for consumer electronics and industrial sensor manufacturers who have not previously needed to navigate Thai radar certification at all. Clients evaluating new millimeter-wave sensing products for the Thai market should treat this draft as the one most likely to directly define their certification pathway once it is formally issued, and should monitor for the final gazetted version rather than assume the draft terms are locked in.

Key Takeaways

• The 57 to 64 GHz SRD draft is the first Thai standard to specifically address millimeter-wave sensing devices such as gesture sensors and short-range in-cabin radar.
• Expected compliance under SDoC rather than full type approval is a meaningful difference for manufacturers weighing certification timelines and cost.

Source

NBTC Public Hearing Portal