diff --git a/apps/decoder.c b/apps/decoder.c
index 22dc235fff728ec606d58391b20e72d04e625efc..616b36e37e768c8b712013a48ec6dab492622b43 100644
--- a/apps/decoder.c
+++ b/apps/decoder.c
@@ -109,6 +109,9 @@ typedef struct
     float no_diegetic_pan;
     bool renderConfigEnabled;
     char *renderConfigFilename;
+#ifdef COMPLEXITY_LEVEL_INDICATION
+    IVAS_DEC_COMPLEXITY_LEVEL complexityLevel;
+#endif
 
 #ifdef DEBUGGING
     IVAS_DEC_FORCED_REND_MODE forcedRendMode;
@@ -757,6 +760,9 @@ static bool parseCmdlIVAS_dec(
     arg->quietModeEnabled = false;
     arg->delayCompensationEnabled = true;
     arg->voipMode = false;
+#ifdef COMPLEXITY_LEVEL_INDICATION
+    arg->complexityLevel = IVAS_DEC_COMPLEXITY_LEVEL_THREE;
+#endif
 
     arg->enableHeadRotation = false;
     arg->headrotTrajFileName = NULL;
@@ -1051,6 +1057,25 @@ static bool parseCmdlIVAS_dec(
             }
             i++;
         }
+#ifdef COMPLEXITY_LEVEL_INDICATION
+        else if ( strcmp( argv_to_upper, "-LEVEL" ) == 0 )
+        {
+            int16_t level;
+
+            ++i;
+            level = (int16_t) atoi( argv[i++] );
+            if ( level < IVAS_DEC_COMPLEXITY_LEVEL_ONE || level > IVAS_DEC_COMPLEXITY_LEVEL_THREE )
+            {
+                fprintf( stdout, "Invalid complexity level specified.\n" );
+                usage_dec();
+                return false;
+            }
+            else if ( level == IVAS_DEC_COMPLEXITY_LEVEL_ONE || level == IVAS_DEC_COMPLEXITY_LEVEL_TWO )
+            {
+                fprintf( stdout, "Complexity levels 1 and 2 will be defined after characterisation - default to level 3 (full functionality).\n" );
+            }
+        }
+#endif
 
         /*-----------------------------------------------------------------*
          * Option not recognized
@@ -1202,6 +1227,10 @@ static void usage_dec( void )
     fprintf( stdout, "                      containing FEC pattern (short values of 0 (good) or 1 (bad))\n" );
     fprintf( stdout, "                      default is OFF, if this option is not used\n" );
     fprintf( stdout, "-force R            : Force specific binaural rendering mode, R = (TDREND, CLDFBREND),\n" );
+#ifdef COMPLEXITY_LEVEL_INDICATION
+    fprintf( stdout, "-level level        : Complexity level, level = (1, 2, 3), will be defined after characterisation. \n" );
+    fprintf( stdout, "                      Currently, all values default to level 3 (full functionality).\n" );
+#endif
 #endif
 #ifdef DEBUG_MODE_INFO
 #ifdef DEBUG_MODE_INFO_TWEAK
diff --git a/apps/encoder.c b/apps/encoder.c
index 7f6d6baa30cd993bb1ab57849fcdbc78b027b1ec..a23970a27071d0604fba171cc5c6345c93793c03 100644
--- a/apps/encoder.c
+++ b/apps/encoder.c
@@ -111,6 +111,9 @@ typedef struct
     IVAS_ENC_CHANNEL_AWARE_CONFIG caConfig;
     const char *ca_config_file;
     bool mimeOutput;
+#ifdef COMPLEXITY_LEVEL_INDICATION
+    IVAS_ENC_COMPLEXITY_LEVEL complexityLevel;
+#endif
 
 #ifdef DEBUGGING
     IVAS_ENC_FORCED_MODE forcedMode;
@@ -878,6 +881,9 @@ static void initArgStruct( EncArguments *arg )
     arg->ca_config_file = NULL;
     arg->mimeOutput = false;
     arg->ism_extended_metadata = false;
+#ifdef COMPLEXITY_LEVEL_INDICATION
+    arg->complexityLevel = IVAS_ENC_COMPLEXITY_LEVEL_THREE;
+#endif
 
 #ifdef DEBUGGING
     arg->forcedMode = IVAS_ENC_FORCE_UNFORCED;
@@ -1190,6 +1196,32 @@ static bool parseCmdlIVAS_enc(
             ++i;
         }
 
+
+#ifdef COMPLEXITY_LEVEL_INDICATION
+        /*-----------------------------------------------------------------*
+         * Complexity Level
+         *-----------------------------------------------------------------*/
+
+        /* actual parsing of level will be implemented after characterization */
+        else if ( strcmp( argv_to_upper, "-LEVEL" ) == 0 )
+        {
+            int16_t level;
+
+            ++i;
+            level = (int16_t) atoi( argv[i++] );
+            if ( level < IVAS_ENC_COMPLEXITY_LEVEL_ONE || level > IVAS_ENC_COMPLEXITY_LEVEL_THREE )
+            {
+                fprintf( stdout, "Invalid complexity level specified.\n" );
+                usage_enc();
+                return false;
+            }
+            else if ( level == IVAS_ENC_COMPLEXITY_LEVEL_ONE || level == IVAS_ENC_COMPLEXITY_LEVEL_TWO )
+            {
+                fprintf( stdout, "Complexity levels 1 and 2 will be defined after characterisation - default to level 3 (full functionality).\n" );
+            }
+        }
+#endif
+
         /*-----------------------------------------------------------------*
          * IVAS Formats
          *-----------------------------------------------------------------*/
@@ -1697,6 +1729,8 @@ static void usage_enc( void )
     fprintf( stdout, "                      default output bitstream file format is G.192\n" );
 
     fprintf( stdout, "-bypass mode        : SBA PCA by-pass, mode = (1, 2), 1 = PCA off, 2 = signal adaptive, default is 1\n" );
+    fprintf( stdout, "-level level        : Complexity level, level = (1, 2, 3), will be defined after characterisation. \n" );
+    fprintf( stdout, "                      Currently, all values default to level 3 (full functionality).\n" );
 #ifdef DEBUGGING
     fprintf( stdout, "-force T            : Force specific mode, T = (speech, music, ACELP, GSC, TCX, HQ),\n" );
     fprintf( stdout, "                      alternatively, T can be a text file where each line contains \"nb_frames T\"\n" );
diff --git a/lib_com/options.h b/lib_com/options.h
index 62717d9ad7558429dbb9be162d2fa9d07794bc47..e68aca0ef1b9d22f274a6307a416732398b1f9bd 100755
--- a/lib_com/options.h
+++ b/lib_com/options.h
@@ -214,6 +214,8 @@
 //#define HODIRAC_READ_PARAMS
 #endif
 
+#define COMPLEXITY_LEVEL_INDICATION
+
 /* ################## End DEVELOPMENT switches ######################### */
 /* clang-format on */
 
diff --git a/lib_dec/lib_dec.h b/lib_dec/lib_dec.h
index 17af564295cca7d3e47b3affc9f5df7ec90d6fa4..f220184ca15496960251a936468eb5c6eb960ce2 100644
--- a/lib_dec/lib_dec.h
+++ b/lib_dec/lib_dec.h
@@ -77,6 +77,15 @@ typedef enum
     IVAS_DEC_INPUT_FORMAT_RTPDUMP_HF = 4, /* RTP payload: only Header-Full format without zero padding for size collision avoidance */
 } IVAS_DEC_INPUT_FORMAT;
 
+#ifdef COMPLEXITY_LEVEL_INDICATION
+typedef enum _IVAS_DEC_COMPLEXITY_LEVEL
+{
+    IVAS_DEC_COMPLEXITY_LEVEL_ONE = 1,
+    IVAS_DEC_COMPLEXITY_LEVEL_TWO = 2,
+    IVAS_DEC_COMPLEXITY_LEVEL_THREE = 3
+} IVAS_DEC_COMPLEXITY_LEVEL;
+#endif
+
 #ifdef DEBUGGING
 typedef enum _IVAS_DEC_FORCED_REND_MODE
 {
diff --git a/lib_enc/lib_enc.h b/lib_enc/lib_enc.h
index 349c41ebef721a1b65be35235e7a17e63a1de4e4..3a6a619f7368b2db1398edd65f3d5cb4f12d3a57 100644
--- a/lib_enc/lib_enc.h
+++ b/lib_enc/lib_enc.h
@@ -94,6 +94,15 @@ typedef enum _IVAS_ENC_MASA_VARIANT
     IVAS_ENC_MASA_UNDEFINED = 0xffff
 } IVAS_ENC_MASA_VARIANT;
 
+#ifdef COMPLEXITY_LEVEL_INDICATION
+typedef enum _IVAS_ENC_COMPLEXITY_LEVEL
+{
+    IVAS_ENC_COMPLEXITY_LEVEL_ONE = 1,
+    IVAS_ENC_COMPLEXITY_LEVEL_TWO = 2,
+    IVAS_ENC_COMPLEXITY_LEVEL_THREE = 3
+} IVAS_ENC_COMPLEXITY_LEVEL;
+#endif
+
 #ifdef DEBUGGING
 typedef enum _IVAS_ENC_STEREO_MODE
 {