1. Purpose and scope
A radio product cannot be sold in a market until it is approved there. Regulators set limits on frequencies, transmit power, spectral masks and emissions, and on exposure for devices used near the body; standards bodies define conformance tests for the air interface; industry schemes certify interoperability and allow the use of a logo; network operators run acceptance programmes before a device may use their networks. Each has its own test methods, laboratories, records and fees.
This stage takes the module samples and the frozen configuration through all of these. It starts with pre-compliance scans in-house, which find problems while they are still cheap to fix, and moves to formal testing at accredited or recognised laboratories when there is margin. It ends with the certifications, declarations of conformity and test reports in a certification file, and the regulatory settings locked in the released software so that the shipped configuration is the certified one.
Examples of what may be in scope, depending on product and market: 3GPP conformance and industry schemes such as GCF and PTCRB for cellular devices, Wi-Fi Alliance certification for IEEE 802.11 products, Bluetooth SIG qualification, FCC rules in the United States, ISED in Canada, the EU Radio Equipment Directive with its harmonised standards and CE marking, EMC requirements, specific absorption rate testing for body-worn or handheld devices, and carrier acceptance programmes.
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