New rules for connected gadgets land in Northern Ireland on 16 December 2025, after ministers signed The Radio Equipment (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2025. Required under the Windsor Framework, the change matters for Northern manufacturers and retailers selling into NI as well as local tech firms.

In plain terms, the law adds a fresh set of “essential requirements” to the Radio Equipment Regulations 2017 as they apply in NI. Internet‑connected radio equipment must be built so it doesn’t damage networks or hog resources, kit that lets users move money must support anti‑fraud features, and connected devices - including childcare products, smart toys and wearables - must protect users’ privacy and personal data.

The statutory text is blunt about the privacy bar: covered products must “incorporate safeguards to ensure that the personal data and privacy of the user and subscriber are protected”. For firms shipping smart watches, baby monitors or connected toys into NI, that means security and privacy by design, not as an afterthought.

This NI update is the local effect of the EU’s delegated act under the Radio Equipment Directive. Brussels moved the application date to 1 August 2025 to give industry and standards bodies more time; from that date in the EU - and now from mid‑December in NI - the bar is mandatory.

Scope matters. The delegated act carves out products already governed by other specific EU regimes (for example medical, aviation and vehicle legislation), but for most internet‑connected kit the new security, anti‑fraud and privacy rules bite. If you’re unsure whether your device is in scope, check the definitions of “internet‑connected radio equipment”, “traffic data” and “location data” in the EU text.

Retailers will recognise the direction of travel. NI has already implemented the EU common‑charger rules: USB‑C applies to phones, tablets and other listed devices placed on the market from 28 December 2024, with laptops following from 28 April 2026. The 2025 instrument adds the cybersecurity and privacy layer on top.

Compliance isn’t just paperwork. The SI tweaks the conformity‑assessment provisions so enforcement teams can check products meet the new requirements before they’re sold. Expect more questions from distributors about test evidence and technical files covering data protection features and network resilience.

Ministers told MPs that many businesses “have already prepared to comply with the new essential requirements”, and stressed that CE‑marked, EU‑compliant radio equipment can still be placed on the GB market, while GB consumer‑connectable products continue to be covered by the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure regime. That matters for Northern firms selling nationwide.

Enforcement is set to be proportionate, with the Office for Product Safety and Standards preparing guidance and factsheets. For manufacturers across the North who sell into NI - whether directly or via marketplaces - the practical ask is clear: document your threat model, build in anti‑fraud controls where payments are possible, and evidence privacy safeguards in your technical file.

Bottom line for regional businesses: if you sell connected devices into Northern Ireland, align product design and paperwork with the EU Radio Equipment requirements and you’ll be set for NI. The payoff for consumers should be fewer insecure gadgets and stronger protection of personal data - exactly what the Windsor Framework intended.