What Are the Types of PTCRB Certification?

The purpose of PTCRB certification is to verify the performance and interoperability of devices when using 3G, 4G, and 5G networks, ensuring that devices can operate stably across different operators' networks and comply with relevant standards. Through PTCRB certification, device manufacturers can prove that their products have good network compatibility and quality, thereby gaining greater market competitiveness.

There are also multiple certification types within PTCRB. In this article, Yingli Testing will provide a comprehensive analysis of the various PTCRB certification types.

Initial Certification

As the name "Initial" suggests, this is the first certification in a product's life cycle. The two scenarios listed below cover 99% of Initial Certification cases:

1. All electronic products and communication devices (such as mobile phones, tablets, and laptops) that have never participated in PTCRB certification and need to be certified are classified as Initial Certification.

2. Certain smart products that have not undergone PTCRB certification from their embedded modules to the complete device are also referred to as initial prototypes. The actual testing involves performing a PTCRB Initial Certification for the embedded module. Of course, radiated spurious emissions (RSE) testing is also required by PTCRB, so the provided samples must still include the complete device.

In layman's terms, it can be understood as: if an electronic product that can insert a SIM card has never undergone PTCRB certification inside or out, then its certification can be regarded as an Initial Certification.

For an Initial Certification, the testing volume will be substantial, as it needs to cover the full capabilities of the prototype. This means all technologies and capabilities supported by the prototype must be verified, including but not limited to common 4G and 5G, as well as VoLTE, NFC, Audio, Wi-Fi, eSIM, and more.

Integrated DeviCE certification

The biggest difference between this type of certification and Initial Certification is that the relative testing volume will be much smaller. This category of products typically uses modules that have already obtained certification and embeds them into the target product. This is what we commonly call an integrated product or an embedded product. It can be understood as a "nesting doll" concept.

The advantage of obtaining certification for an integrated product in this way is that the testing cycle and costs are relatively lower. The laboratory will usually only conduct spot checks, verify the software and hardware versions (SVN check), and perform Radiated Spurious Emissions (RSE) testing, which are relatively basic tests targeted at the complete device.

With the development of embedded technologies combined with the wide application of smart products in people's daily lives, more and more similar products are appearing in the public eye. Examples include blood glucose meters, body-worn cameras, GPS trackers, routers, and even electronic scales. If it is hard to understand or distinguish what constitutes a product with an embedded module, we can use the same logic mentioned in the Initial Certification section: if an electronic product can insert a SIM card, it can be viewed as an integrated product.

Because its certification process is very concise and the cycle is short, among other advantages, many customers choose to pass the certification in this way.

Variant Certification

As the name implies, Variant Certification is a derived certification based on the Initial Certification. This will also reduce a portion of the certification testing. Whether a product qualifies as a "Variant" of the prototype, and which tests can be covered by the prototype, will be evaluated and quoted by a PTCRB-authorized laboratory based on the "change note" document provided by the technical personnel responsible for the product.

It is worth noting that one prototype can correspond to multiple variants, but a variant cannot be used as a new prototype to derive further variant products.

Engineering Change Order (ECO) Certification

ECO must first meet one prerequisite: only products that have already passed certification can undergo an ECO.

So when is an ECO usually needed? And what is the difference between ECO and the certifications mentioned above?

1. If the product's software or hardware versions need to be updated, we usually adopt the ECO method for certification; or in cases such as operating system updates and Google security patch updates, an ECO will also be performed. Additionally, if the software needs to manipulate the removal or addition of certain frequency bands and functions (except for VoLTE), an ECO is required.

2. Compared to the aforementioned certifications, the testing volume for an ECO is smaller. Taking a version update as an example, it is only necessary to verify the prototype's SVN (Software Version Number). It is worth mentioning that ECOs can be iterative; one prototype can have multiple ECOs. However, the SVN of an ECO cannot reuse the SVN of the prototype or the previous ECO, and the SVN number must continuously increase and can be non-consecutive. For example, if the prototype's SVN is 09, the SVN for the first ECO can be 12 or 13, but it cannot be 09 or 07.