# Operating Outside North America

LoRa mesh hardware designed for North America operates on 902-928 MHz, which is an ISM band in the US and Canada but is *not* an ISM band in most of the rest of the world. Traveling or deploying internationally requires care.

## European Union: 868 MHz

Europe uses 863-870 MHz for LoRa operations, under ETSI EN 300 220 harmonized standards. EU regulations differ from US Part 15:

- **Frequency: 863-870 MHz** - 915 MHz hardware will not meet EU spectrum regulations and may cause interference with other licensed services
- **Duty cycle limits** - EU regulations impose maximum duty cycle limits (e.g., 1% in some sub-bands) that are not required in the US. This significantly limits how frequently nodes can transmit
- **Power limits** - Most EU sub-bands are limited to 25 mW ERP, but the 869.4-869.65 MHz sub-band used by Meshtastic's EU\_868 default allows 500 mW ERP with a 10% duty cycle - still far below the US 4 W EIRP
- **CE marking required** for devices placed on the EU market

**US hardware (915 MHz) must not be operated in EU countries.** If you are deploying in Europe, purchase EU 868 MHz hardware specifically.

## Australia and New Zealand

Australia (ACMA) and New Zealand (Radio Spectrum Management) allow LoRa operation on 915-928 MHz under license-exempt rules broadly equivalent to US Part 15. US-band hardware covers the AU/NZ 915-928 MHz range (set region to ANZ), but check that the device carries Australian/NZ RCM compliance marking - FCC certification alone does not authorize sale or use.

## Asia-Pacific

Regulations vary significantly by country:

- **Japan** - 920-928 MHz is available under the ARIB STD-T108 standard. Power limits differ from US.
- **South Korea** - 920-923 MHz available under MSIT/RRA regulations (Meshtastic KR region).
- **China** - 470-510 MHz and 779-787 MHz LoRa bands; 915 MHz is NOT a license-exempt band in China.
- **India** - 865-867 MHz for LoRa under WPC guidelines.

## General International Guidance

- Before operating in any country, verify local spectrum regulations for the frequency band of your hardware
- Do not assume US-certified hardware is legal to operate in other countries
- When traveling, check the destination country's rules before bringing or operating LoRa gear; FCC certification does not authorize operation outside the US. Consider not transmitting at all unless you confirm legality.
- Consider purchasing locally-certified hardware for extended international deployments