Regulatory Facts - Ecuador

Total Population: 12,700,628

GDP per capita: $1,050

Age Structure:

0-14 years:  35.8%

15-64 years:  59.81%

65 years and over:  4.39%

Communication Status: Open Competition Market as of 1/1/2002

Health Care Status: Public & Private

Sex Ratio:

0.99 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Economic Status: Free market economy

Official Language: Spanish

International Organization Participation: ISO, ITU, ALADI, WTO

Literacy Rate: 90.1%

Telecom

Medical

Consumer Products

Regulatory Authority: National Telecommunication Council (CONATEL)

Regulatory Authority: Ministry of Health

Regulatory Authority:  Ministry of Commerce

Approval Body: National Telecommunications Secretary (SNT)

Registration Body: National Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine of the Ministry of Health

Certification Body: Ecuadorian Standards Institute (INEN)

EMC: FCC and Industry Canada reports accepted

EMC: Foreign reports from accredited labs accepted

EMC: Foreign reports from accredited labs accepted

Safety: Foreign reports accepted

Safety: Ministry of Health’s National Hygiene Institute “Izquieta Perez” or Accredited Laboratories

Safety: Safety certification is compulsory for only those products regulated by INEN. For non-regulated products INEN will provide an exempt certificate

Radio: Spectrum assignment in place

Radio: Spectrum assignment in place

Radio: Spectrum assignment in place

Labeling: SNT homologation label affixed to equipment

Labeling: Products must display registration number obtained from National Hygiene Institute “Izquieta Perez”

Labeling: Labeling must be done in Spanish and should include the name of the company, address and phone number, the commercial tag number, the country of origin, unit, net weight, and sanitary registration number if required.

Residency Requirements:

Locally- established representative required

Residency Requirements:

Local presence required

Residency Requirements:

Local presence or agent required

Current Trends: As of January 1, 2002, Ecuador telecommunications market for all services was opened to free competition. State regulator CONATEL plans to move forward with the concession of fixed and mobile wireless access, PCS, IMT-200, WLL and LMDS concessions will be ready by the end of the year.

Currents Trends: Medical Equipment classified under HS 9022 requires prior authorization from the Ecuadorian Atomic Energy Commission.

Current Trends: Importers must register with the Central Bank of Ecuador through approved banking institutions to obtain an import license. Import licenses or DUI-Documento Unico de Importacion (Import Document Authorization), are obtained before incoming goods are shipped from the port of origin.