The Global Certification Forum (GCF) is a certification organization in which manufacturers, operators and test laboratories deal with compliance with standards and specifications for devices in the mobile network.
The GCF was founded in 1999 and has quickly established itself as an organisation for the regulation of products in the European mobile network. This makes the GCF a counterpart to the North American PTCRB, which is responsible for the use in the American mobile network.
A GCF certification is therefore necessary for manufacturers who want to use their products in the European mobile network. These products include both terminals and modules.
The GCF certification process
The GCF defines a 6-steps certification plan for the approval of a device or module:
The roles of ACE and RTO
Within the framework of the GCF certification process, there are two bodies with special roles:
Within the process, an ACE has the task of defining the scope of testing required to certify a product and evaluating all test results to ensure that the product meets all relevant certification criteria.
An RTO, on the other hand, is responsible for implementing the specified test plan. The tests can cover four categories:
RTOs must be designated by the GCF on the basis of strict criteria relating to expertise, qualifications and technical equipment and must regularly confirm these criteria.
We at CETECOM hold both relevant roles in the GCF certification process and are therefore an Assessement Capable Entity (ACE) and a Recognized Test Organization (RTO) recognized by the GCF in our laboratories in Essen and Anyang, Korea.
As an RTO, we are recognized in all four categories, making us the ideal partner for GCF certification with more than 25 years of experience in mobile communications.
This includes certification services for CAT M1 and NB IoT as the next generation of mobile connectivity.
More information about the American counterpart, the PTCRB certification, can be found here.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us directly: https://www.cetecom.com/en/contact/
