PTCRB certification, step-by-step procedure

Hugues Orgitello updated 7 Oct 2026 10 min read

The PTCRB procedure is written down in one document: the Program Management Document, PPMD V4.2, dated October 2026. This page follows it step by step, from the certification request to the award, the public listing and the changes that need an ECO. One point changes the whole picture compared with older guides: since PPMD V4.0 (October 2025), an IoT device built on a certified module no longer gets a PTCRB device certification, it goes through IoT Network Certified. Everything below is as of October 7, 2026.

Which route for which product

The PPMD (Table 11.2-1) sorts devices into four types, each with its own requirements. IoT devices built on a module are outside the PPMD.

Product	Route	Section of PPMD V4.2	CTIA Certification fee (11.3.1.11)
Smartphone, feature phone, other device	PTCRB Initial	11.1 to 11.8	$12,500 ($15,000 with Wi-Fi Converged Device Testing)
Module (up to NR FR1)	PTCRB Initial, or Variant of another module	11.9.1	$12,500 ($15,000 with Wi-Fi Converged Device Testing)
Module or end product using a Certified Chipset	PTCRB Initial	11.16	$7,500 ($10,000 with Wi-Fi Converged Device Testing)
Notebook or tablet using a certified module	PTCRB Initial (Parent/Child platforms)	11.11	$1,500 ($2,125 with Wi-Fi Converged Device Testing)
Embedded modem, or other IoT device using a module	IoT Network Certified	11.3.1.3	Set in the How to Get IoT Network Certified guide
Certified Chipset	PTCRB Initial	11.15	$12,500 (Initial Certification fee)

Two module rules matter early in a project:

A module is certified on a complete test set. It can be an Initial Certification or a Variant of another module, never a Variant of a phone or other device type. Its PICS/PIXIT and test results are made available to the Primary lab that later evaluates an IoT device containing it (PPMD 11.9.1).
An FR2 module runs FR2 protocol tests only. It is not subject to FR2 RF, performance or RRM test cases at module level (PPMD 11.9.2, Table 11.9-1); that testing moves to the end product.

The steps, as the texts list them

The ptcrb.com "Get Certified" page lists six steps (Verify, Comply, Submit, Pay, Upload, Receive); the CTIA Certification program page lists eight (Request, Select, Determine, Test, Submit, Pay, Confirm, Notify). The PPMD gives the rules behind each one.

#	Step	What the PPMD requires	Section
1	Check operator needs	Determine whether the device needs additional operator-specific testing for the target markets (ptcrb.com)
2	Regulatory approval	FCC Grant of Equipment Authorization (US) under the applicable rule parts (the PPMD names Parts 22H, 24E, 27, 90 and 30), ISED Technical Acceptance Certificate (Canada) under the applicable RSS (RSS-132, RSS-133, RSS-139), or evidence for another jurisdiction. The ID must be entered before PTCRB certification is received	11.3.1.8
3	Database access	Registration on certify.ptcrb.com, for a named individual whose email domain matches the company	9.2
4	IMEI TAC request	Submitted via certify.ptcrb.com; the TAC is reserved for 120 days and revoked if the device is not certified by then	8.6
5	Certification request	Request type (Initial, Variant or ECO), device type, whether the device incorporates a module, embedded modem or Certified Chipset, technologies and bands, regulatory ID, features, IMEI TAC, contacts	11.3.1.2, 11.3.1.3
6	Primary lab selection	The manufacturer selects a PTCRB Full Test Laboratory, which manages 100% of the test cases; only the Primary lab may request subcontracting	11.3.1.5
7	Declarations and documents	Air interface compliance, IMEI security, AE compliance where applicable, accuracy and completeness; PICS/PIXIT, product description (a draft is acceptable), all in English	11.3.1.6, 11.3.1.7
8	Testing and upload	The lab accepts or rejects the request in the database, tests, then enters final hardware and software versions, NAPRD03 version, IMEI TAC and test results	11.4
9	Fees	CTIA Certification invoices the certification fee; payment is required before certification is issued. Lab testing fees are separate	11.3.1.11
10	Award	Status changes to "Under Review by CTIA Certification", then after a final review the device is certified and the manufacturer receives an email	11.3.4
11	Public listing	When certified, or 1 to 365 days after certification, at the manufacturer's choice	11.3.1.12

Operators can be given a view of a pending request if the manufacturer selects them at submission (PPMD 11.3.1.13). Test results uploaded by the Primary lab are visible to CTIA Certification staff and to the members of the Operator Steering Group (PPMD 6.4).

Request categories

Category	What it is	Key rule
Initial	First PTCRB certification of a device of any type	A complete set of test cases; results from another device of the same manufacturer can be leveraged if the Primary lab confirms it (11.1)
Variant	A device derived from a PTCRB-certified Parent (a notebook derived from a Parent is a Child, not a Variant)	No device may be derived from a Variant; enabling a new technology (3G, 4G) is a new platform and needs an Initial Certification (1.2, 11.12)
ECO	Request to recertify a certified device after a hardware or software update	Required for any hardware change, any radio or protocol stack change that changes the software version or SVN, and any recompilation of the radio or protocol stack (11.6.1)

A Superset Device can only be created through an Initial or Variant request, never through an ECO (PPMD 11.3.1.2). A Variant must certify against one of the two most recent NAPRD03 versions, never an earlier one than its Parent (PPMD 11.12.2).

Which NAPRD03 version

Certification is based on the most recent NAPRD03 version on the date the test reports are uploaded, or the one before it (PPMD 11.7). NAPRD03 is released four times a year (PPMD 5.2), so a project that drifts loses its version. On October 7, 2026 the current version is NAPRD03 V6.26, dated October 2026.

For a notebook or tablet, the platform is tested against the NAPRD03 version used to certify the module. That version stays valid for three years from the module's last certification that required testing, provided the module runs the same software; after that, the module must re-certify to the latest NAPRD03 before it can be used in new platforms (PPMD 11.11.2).

Authorized test labs

Lab role	Definition (PPMD Section 6)
Primary Test Laboratory	Selected by the manufacturer, takes primary responsibility for all certification requirements; must be a Full Test Laboratory qualified in E-UTRA and/or NR, plus LTE-M or NB-IoT for those devices
Full Test Laboratory	Meets the CTIA Certification Policies and Procedures for Authorized Test Labs
Associate Laboratory	Sponsored by a Full Test Laboratory, runs part of the testing

According to the ptcrb.com Test Labs page, authorized labs must hold ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation aligned to CTIA test scopes, pass a formal audit, take part in inter-laboratory comparison testing and make an annual capability submission. Labs named in the PTCRB Award of Excellence from 2022 to 2025 include Element Materials Technology, SEQAL, SGS, Sporton International, WE Certification, Bureau Veritas and Cetecom Advanced. The same page says there are dozens of authorized labs worldwide; choose the Primary lab on its qualifications for your radio access technologies, not on this list.

The PVG (PTCRB Validation Group) is a technical body: it validates test cases, qualifies test equipment and maintains the PVG.11 band list. It does not review certification requests; CTIA Certification does.

IMEI and TAC

For PTCRB devices, CTIA Certification is the IMEI Administrator: it receives and reviews IMEI TAC requests, issues TACs and acts as a GSMA Reporting Body (PPMD 2.2). The IMEI has 15 digits:

IMEI   = TAC (8) + serial number (6) + check digit (1) = 15 digits
IMEISV = TAC (8) + serial number (6) + SVN (2)         = 16 digits

Rule	Source
The first two TAC digits are the Reporting Body Identifier: 01 for PTCRB reserved or certified IMEIs, 35 for BABT	PPMD 8.1
One TAC covers 1,000,000 units; beyond that, an additional TAC	PPMD 8.1, 8.2.10
A TAC cannot be shared across model numbers; under extenuating circumstances operators may allow one TAC for several models marketed as a single model, told apart by the SVN	PPMD 8.2
A TAC request is reserved for 120 days, then revoked if the device is not certified	PPMD 8.6
A test IMEI is for prototypes only and cannot be used for the final certification	PPMD 8.3.2
The SVN (00 to 98, 99 reserved) is updated when the radio or protocol layer software changes or is recompiled	PPMD 8.1, 8.2.1
The IMEI (SV) goes on the Certified, Uncertified or Block list of the North American CEIR and is sent to the GSMA	PPMD 8.4
The GSMA charges its own fees for TAC allocation	PPMD 8.6
The check digit is computed with the Luhn formula over the first 14 digits	3GPP TS 23.003

Devices that complete PTCRB certification are issued an IMEI on the Certified list, and service is not denied to them because of equipment type; operators may, at their discretion, deny service to an "Uncertified Listed" device (PPMD 8.2.5, 8.2.7).

After certification: ECO and FOTA

The Primary lab decides whether an ECO needs full or partial retesting, on "objective and defensible criteria". For an antenna change, it decides whether TRP, TIS, C-TIS, RSE, NHPRP or NHPIS OTA testing is required, and whether full OTA testing or spot-checks are enough (PPMD 11.6.4). For a module ECO, the lab assesses whether IoT devices using earlier module versions need testing to use the new one (11.6.4.1).

Software loaded by FOTA must bit-match the certified software; otherwise it must itself be certified (PPMD 11.3.2).

IoT devices: IoT Network Certified

Except notebooks and tablets, devices incorporating a module or embedded modem are submitted for IoT Network Certified (PPMD 11.3.1.3), which ptcrb.com describes as a streamlined process that leverages the PTCRB certification of the embedded module. Its requirements moved out of the PPMD in V4.0 into the How to Get IoT Network Certified guide. Two rules still apply from the PTCRB documents:

RF performance evaluation (radiated OTA performance, CTIA Certification test plan) is mandatory for all device types going through PTCRB or IoT Network Certified (NAPRD03 2.9).
For an IoT device ECO with an antenna change, or a module revision whose assessment calls for testing, a lab review is always required. If radiated testing is needed, TRP may be no more than 2 dB below the Parent, and TIS or C-TIS no more than 2 dB above it (PPMD 11.6.4.2).

AT&T states on the IoT Network Certified site that getting AT&T Network Ready "means first getting IoT Network Certified". Each operator sets its own acceptance program on top: see the operator guides below.

How PTCRB relates to FCC approval

FCC equipment authorization is a legal requirement for radio equipment marketed in the US (47 CFR Part 2, Subpart J); PTCRB is an industry certification. The PPMD links them in one direction: the FCC ID (or ISED ID, or other national ID) must be in the PTCRB request before PTCRB certification is received, and a copy of the grant may be uploaded to speed up the process (PPMD 11.3.1.8). The two can be prepared in parallel, but the PTCRB award comes after the regulatory ID exists. Test reports for one are not declared reusable for the other by any PTCRB document.

Claims the texts contradict

Common claim (including on earlier versions of this page)	What the documents say
"An integrator using a certified module passes a reduced PTCRB device certification"	Since PPMD V4.0 (October 2025), only notebooks and tablets stay in PTCRB; other devices with a module or embedded modem go to IoT Network Certified (PPMD 11.3.1.3)
"A complete 4G module takes 6 to 9 months", with a month-by-month schedule	No PTCRB or CTIA Certification document gives a duration. ptcrb.com says certification time depends on the device type and on whether results from related devices can be leveraged. The fixed time rules are the 120-day TAC reservation and the NAPRD03 version window
"A module costs $80,000 to $200,000, a device on a certified module $30,000 to $80,000"	PTCRB publishes only the CTIA Certification fee (PPMD 11.3.1.11), from $1,500 to $15,000; testing fees are set independently by each lab
"The CTIA Certification fee is set in PPMD V4.1"	PPMD V4.2 (October 2026) is in force; each new PPMD version supersedes all previous ones on release (PPMD 5.3)
"Shared FCC and PTCRB tests cut costs by 30 to 40%"	No PTCRB document quantifies or provides for such reuse
"The FCC rule parts are 22, 24 and 27"	The PPMD names Parts 22H, 24E, 27, 90 and 30, among the applicable rule parts
"An IMEI not registered with the GSMA may be refused"	The PPMD rule is about the CEIR lists: devices on the Certified list are not denied service because of equipment type; operators may deny service to an "Uncertified Listed" device
"The PVG reviews certification requests"	The PVG is a technical consultation body; CTIA Certification reviews requests and awards certification