December 2025: New Standards for Wireless Metering and Fibre Optic Components

Stay ahead of the curve with the latest international standards updates in Telecommunications, Audio, and Video Engineering. This December 2025 release—Part 4 of a comprehensive 7-part series—covers five newly published standards, offering critical guidance for wireless metering and fibre optic component quality, testing, and interoperability. Professionals in telecommunications, smart metering, and optical networking should not miss these essential updates: they directly impact compliance, system performance, and future procurement choices.

Overview

The Telecommunications, Audio, and Video Engineering sector is at the heart of today's connected world, underpinning everything from urban utilities to high-speed data networks. As demand for reliable, secure, and interoperable systems increases, so too does the need for robust, consensus-driven international standards. These standards support:

• Harmonized communication between devices
• Quality assurance and repeatability
• Regulatory compliance for global trade
• Reduced operational risk and improved end-user satisfaction

This article highlights the key features of five new and revised standards published in December 2025. You'll learn about specification updates for wireless meter communication, critical terminology for passive optical devices, and the latest test procedures for fibre optic components.

Detailed Standards Coverage

EN 13757-4:2025 - Wireless M-Bus Communication for Metering

Communication systems for meters - Part 4: Wireless M-Bus communication

EN 13757-4:2025 defines the essential requirements for physical and link layers in wireless metering communication systems using radio technologies—specifically, Short Range Device (SRD) unlicensed bands. This standard is foundational for walk-by, drive-by, and fixed installations, offering a flexible framework for a variety of application layers.

Key requirements include:

• Detailed operation modes (S, T, R2, C, N, F), each with specific channel, transmitter, receiver, and encoding properties
• Data encoding, synchronization, timing, and error correction protocols
• Frame formats, field definitions (length, control, address), and robust cyclic redundancy checks (CRC)
• Secure session management with AES-128 counter mode encryption

Target industries:

• Utilities (water, gas, heat, and electricity metering)
• Smart metering solution providers
• Meter manufacturers and integration partners

Notable changes from previous version:

• Updated modes for improved efficiency and coverage
• Enhanced security and encryption fields
• Performance class refinements for greater accuracy

Key highlights:

• Covers walk-by, drive-by, and fixed wireless meter installations
• Includes support for secure, encrypted communication (AES-128)
• Ensures interoperability in heterogeneous meter networks

Access the full standard:View EN 13757-4:2025 on iTeh Standards

IEC 61300-3-14:2025 - Testing Attenuator Error & Repeatability

Fibre optic interconnecting devices and passive components - Basic test and measurement procedures - Part 3-14: Examinations and measurements - Error and repeatability of the attenuation settings of a variable optical attenuator

IEC 61300-3-14:2025 introduces precise test methods for measuring the error and repeatability of attenuation settings in variable optical attenuators (VOAs)—fundamental for both single-mode and multimode optical networks. These procedures cover both manual and electrically controlled VOAs, including their hysteresis characteristics (as detailed in Annex B).

Key requirements:

• Establishes protocols for absolute and relative calibration of attenuation settings
• Introduces new references (IEC 61315) for fibre-optic power meter calibration
• Clear guidance for measurement uncertainty, repeatability (with 2σ definition), and launch condition requirements
• Harmonized reporting structure for measurement results and error analysis

Target industries:

• Fibre optic network installers and maintainers
• Optical component manufacturers
• Test laboratories and certification bodies

Notable updates:

• Correction of errors in formulae and figures
• Combined and streamlined reporting requirements
• Precise measurement uncertainty and error calculation guidance

Key highlights:

• Covers both manual and electronic attenuators
• Optimized for both single-mode and multimode fibre networks
• Enhances reliability and comparability of network test results

Access the full standard:View IEC 61300-3-14:2025 on iTeh Standards

IEC TS 62627-09:2016 - Vocabulary for Passive Optical Devices

Fibre optic interconnecting devices and passive components - Vocabulary for passive optical devices

IEC TS 62627-09:2016 (Technical Specification) is a fundamental reference for professionals handling passive optical devices. It harmonizes terminology for use in component specifications, performance standards, and test procedures prepared by IEC SC 86B. This ensures that all stakeholders—manufacturers, network designers, testers—work from a shared, up-to-date vocabulary.

The standard includes:

• Definitions for basic terms (e.g., port, input/output port)
• Device definitions (passive optical device, fibre optic isolator, optical switch, circulator)
• Performance parameter definitions and abbreviations (e.g., transfer matrix, attenuation)

Target industries:

• Fibre optic device manufacturers
• Standards and specification writers
• R&D and educational institutions

Practical impact:

• Consistent communication across organizations
• Fewer misinterpretations when specifying or testing equipment
• Simplifies global trade and procurement

Key highlights:

• Comprehensive and harmonized glossary of terms
• Supports specification, testing, and documentation
• Essential reference for professionals and students alike

Access the full standard:View IEC TS 62627-09:2016 on iTeh Standards

IEC TS 62627-09:2016 (Consolidated Version/Amendment 1:2025) - Updated Vocabulary

Fibre optic interconnecting devices and passive components - Part 09: Vocabulary for passive optical devices (consolidated version incl. AMD1:2025)

This consolidated/updated version formalizes the vocabulary for passive optical devices, incorporating changes until December 2025. Technical developments in fibre optics have introduced new device categories, updated definitions, and expanded performance parameter terms—all now harmonized for international consistency.

The document provides:

• Updated and expanded terminology for cutting-edge passive optical technologies
• Clarification and revision of key definitions, with clear references and context
• Cohesive glossary ready for future technical and market developments

Who should comply:

• All professionals referencing or specifying terms for optical device documentation, contracts, or test plans
• Quality and standards managers
• Laboratories handling component benchmarking

Key highlights:

• Ensures up-to-date terminology and references
• Facilitates international trade and cross-border tenders
• Official harmonization across global optical standards

Access the full standard:View IEC TS 62627-09:2016+AMD1:2025 on iTeh Standards

IEC 61300-1:2022 - Guidance on Test and Measurement Procedures

Fibre optic interconnecting devices and passive components - Basic test and measurement procedures - Part 1: General and guidance

IEC 61300-1:2022 serves as the overarching guide for all test and measurement procedures on fibre optic devices (connectors, splices, management systems, protective housings). It offers a framework for applying the IEC 61300-2 (test procedures) and IEC 61300-3 (measurement procedures) family of standards.

The standard covers:

• Comprehensive requirements for test conditions, measurement uncertainty, and environmental controls
• Precise definitions for launch conditions across various fibre types
• Sample configuration guidelines to ensure valid test results
• Normative annexes detailing requirements for multimode fibre launch conditions (Encircled Flux, Encircled Angular Flux)

Target audience:

• Test labs and calibration authorities
• Component and optical system manufacturers
• Quality managers and compliance officers

Key enhancements in this edition:

• Addition of measurement uncertainty guidance
• New requirements for attenuation variation and fibre types
• Updated sample configuration and test annexes

Key highlights:

• Central harmonized reference for all fibre optic component tests
• Addresses both environmental and performance testing
• Enhances comparability and reliability of test results

Access the full standard:View IEC 61300-1:2022 on iTeh Standards

Industry Impact & Compliance

By implementing these updated standards, businesses in telecommunications, metering, and fibre optic components can:

• Ensure interoperability and future-proofed installations
• Pass regulatory audits and meet contractual obligations
• Improve quality control, reducing costly errors and system incompatibilities
• Increase security for meter communications and sensitive data channels

Compliance considerations:

• Transition periods should be planned for updated protocols (especially EN 13757-4:2025 in metering infrastructure)
• Test laboratories and quality systems must update procedures per the new IEC 61300-1 and 61300-3-14 editions
• Contract templates should reference the latest terminology per IEC TS 62627-09:2016 + AMD1:2025

Failure to comply may result in incompatibility, failed conformity assessments, or regulatory penalties—particularly for international tenders.

Technical Insights

Across these standards, common technical requirements include:

• Accurate representation and management of measurement uncertainty
• Harmonized calibration procedures for test equipment (e.g., fibre-optic power meters)
• Secure communication parameters (e.g., encryption in wireless metering)
• Use of recognized terminology and definitions across contractual, technical, and operational documentation

Implementation best practices:

1. Review device and network interfaces for compatibility with new physical/link layer requirements (EN 13757-4:2025)
2. Validate all test and measurement equipment is calibrated per IEC 61300-1 and relevant parts
3. Update internal training and operational manuals with harmonized vocabulary from IEC TS 62627-09
4. Run gap assessments and pilot projects before full-scale rollout

Testing and Certification Considerations:

• Use only accredited labs for VOA repeatability and error measurements
• Maintain full records as per updated measurement reporting requirements
• Reference consolidated guides for fibre management and sample preparation

Conclusion and Next Steps

December 2025 marks a significant step forward in standardizing wireless metering communications and fibre optic component performance. As infrastructure, compliance, and customer requirements evolve, staying current with international standards is essential.

Key takeaways:

• Five new or updated standards address wireless meter communication, fibre optic test methods, and harmonized terminology
• Enhanced compliance, security, and interoperability for all industry stakeholders
• Direct access to authoritative documents via iTeh Standards

Recommendations:

• Organizations should update procurement specifications, internal policies, and quality procedures to reflect these standards
• Plan staff training for technical and quality teams
• Stay engaged with iTeh Standards for early access to new and emerging requirements

Explore all the referenced standards now on iTeh Standards to ensure your organization is ready for the future of telecommunications, audio, and video engineering.