Which documents does the manufacturer upload for PTCRB certification?

PPMD V4.2 Section 11.3.1.7 lists them: the PICS/PIXIT for the applicable 3GPP specifications, a product description (a draft is acceptable), an Options Table/ICS/Test Case Mapping document if the device supports Application Enablers, and for Multi-SIM DSDA devices a declaration of radio access technologies, bands, features and IMEI TACs per RF path. All documentation is in English.

Does PTCRB require a module Integration Guide?

No PTCRB document (PPMD V4.2, NAPRD03 V6.26) requires one. The PPMD requires the module PICS/PIXIT and test results to be available to the Primary lab that evaluates an IoT device containing the module (11.9.1), and IoT devices built on a module go through IoT Network Certified.

Must the FCC ID exist before PTCRB certification?

Yes for a device sold in the United States and subject to FCC equipment authorization: the FCC ID must be entered in the PTCRB submission before PTCRB certification is received. The same applies to the ISED ID for Canada. A copy of the grant may be uploaded to speed up the process (PPMD 11.3.1.8).

What is the Machine Readable Report (MRR)?

An Excel file the Primary lab uploads with the final test report, listing every test case for all radio access technologies, bands and band combinations enabled on the device, in 15 fixed columns. It is required for every Initial and Variant, and for an ECO that needs testing or changes Primary lab (PPMD 11.4.3.7.1).

PTCRB technical file: what PPMD V4.2 asks for

Hugues Orgitello updated 7 Oct 2026 12 min read

A PTCRB "technical file" is not a binder you send to anyone. It is a certification request in the PTCRB database (certify.ptcrb.com), filled in by the manufacturer and the Primary lab, then reviewed by CTIA Certification. What goes in it is set by the Program Management Document, PPMD V4.2 (October 2026): information fields, declarations, a short list of documents, the regulatory ID, the lab report with its Machine Readable Report, and the IMEI TAC. This page lists each item with its section number, as of October 7, 2026.

Who puts what in the PTCRB database

Three parties write to the same request. All certification documentation must be in English (PPMD 11.3).

Party	What it provides	PPMD V4.2
Manufacturer	Request type, information fields, declarations, documents, regulatory ID, acceptance of the certification license agreement, items requested by the Primary lab	11.3.1.1 to 11.3.1.10
Primary Test Laboratory	Acceptance of the request, final hardware and software versions, test report, Machine Readable Report (MRR), final build declaration where several labs tested	11.4
CTIA Certification	Invoice, review, "Under Review by CTIA Certification" status, award, public listing; as IMEI Administrator it issues the TAC and reports it to the GSMA	2.2, 11.3.1.11, 11.3.4

What the manufacturer enters

Request type and information fields (11.3.1.2, 11.3.1.3)

Request category: Initial, Variant or ECO, plus the device type, and whether the device is a Superset Device (created only through an Initial or Variant, never an ECO).
Valid production model name/number: the real model number, no variables or wild-card digits. Alternative names are allowed only for the same device marketed differently, with a declaration that the devices are identical (11.3.1.4).
Whether the device incorporates a Module, Embedded Modem or Certified Chipset. Except notebooks and tablets, a device incorporating a module or embedded modem is submitted for IoT Network Certified, not PTCRB device certification.
Supported technologies and frequencies, and supported features (all Subsets for a Superset Device).
Regulatory approval ID: FCC ID for the US, ISED ID for Canada, other national ID and country of destination.
IMEI TAC, main point of contact and billing point of contact.

Declarations (11.3.1.6)

Accepted in the database, not uploaded as separate letters:

Declaration	Applies to
Air Interface Compliance	All devices except Certified Chipsets
IMEI Security	All devices except Certified Chipsets
AE Compliance	Devices supporting Application Enablers applicable to PTCRB
Multiple Marketing Names	Any device marketed under several names (the lab may ask for samples or documents for each)
Accuracy and Completeness	All device types

Documents to upload (11.3.1.7)

Document	When	Detail
PICS/PIXIT	Always	Supported features per the applicable 3GPP specifications: TS 34.121-2 and TS 34.123-2, TS 36.521-2 and TS 36.523-2, TS 37.579-4, TS 37.571-3, TS 38.508-2
Product description	Always	Any document, a product brochure for example, naming the manufacturer and model; a draft is acceptable
Options Table/ICS/Test Case Mapping	Device supports Application Enablers applicable to PTCRB
RF path declaration	Multi-SIM devices with DSDA	radio access technologies, bands, features and IMEI TACs for each RF path

That is the whole list of manufacturer uploads in the PPMD. There is no PTCRB requirement for a cover letter, a schematic set or a bill of materials in the database; those may be asked for by the lab (see the Appendix A checklist below).

Regulatory approval (11.3.1.8)

For a device sold in the US and subject to FCC equipment authorization, the manufacturer obtains an FCC Grant covering all technologies and bands under the applicable rule parts (the PPMD names Parts 22H, 24E, 27, 90 and 30) and enters the FCC ID before PTCRB certification is received. Canada works the same way with an ISED Technical Acceptance Certificate (RSS-132, RSS-133, RSS-139 named) and the ISED ID. For other jurisdictions, evidence of compliance goes in the Supporting Documentation section. A copy of the FCC grant or ISED certificate may be uploaded there to speed things up.

Fees (11.3.1.11)

CTIA Certification invoices the certification fee; payment is required before certification is issued. Lab testing fees are separate and set by each lab.

Request	Fee (USD)	With Wi-Fi and Converged Device Testing
Initial	$12,500	$15,000
Initial, Module or End Product using a Certified Chipset	$7,500	$10,000
Initial, Embedded Modem, Notebook or Tablet incorporating a certified Module	$1,500	$2,125
Variant	$3,125	$3,750
Variant, reduced fee listed as a sub-case (device type not stated in V4.2)	$1,000	$1,625
Rebranding of a certified device	$3,125	Same
Each Subset beyond the first	$3,125

What the lab asks for: Appendix A

Samples and technical documents go directly to the test lab, not into the database. PPMD Appendix A is an informative checklist that "will vary based on the type of device and the test laboratory requirements":

Item	Appendix A
At least three samples with accessories (cables, batteries, charger): one set up for UICC terminal interface testing, two unmodified	A.1.1
Test interface adapters for RF, audio test points and UICC interface; a test bed if the unit needs computer control	A.1.2
Name, address and technical point of contact	A.2.1
Operator/user manuals	A.2.2
In-depth description of features and capabilities	A.2.3
Hardware version, parts list, block diagrams, circuit diagrams, mounting drawings, photographs	A.2.4.1 to A.2.4.6
Installation guide and explanation of component interconnection, power lead colours and functions	A.2.4.7
List of supported accessories	A.2.4.8
FCC or ISED ID, other approvals, series or family name, sales model names, assigned IMEI (each "if available")	A.3.1 to A.3.5
Software and hardware revision number, technical contact for the lab	A.3.6, A.3.7
PICS/PIXIT per Section 11.3.1.7	A.3.8

The manufacturer must submit everything the Primary lab requests from this list (11.3.1.10).

What the Primary lab uploads (11.4.3)

When the evaluation is complete, the lab enters or verifies in the database: final hardware version, final software version including SV, features, NAPRD03 version, GCF-CC version where GCF bands are supported, IMEI TAC (8-digit TAC + yyyyyy), versions of the test standards, actual test start and end dates, whether no testing was required, whether there were Category E failures, device categorization, and whether the device meets the IoT Device definition. The final test report should be uploaded within five business days after the evaluation ends.

The test report itself must contain, at a minimum:

Lab information, with the ISO accreditation body logo and certificate number and the PTCRB ATL logo with the lab code on the cover page (11.4.3.1)
Test equipment list with versions and calibration dates (11.4.3.2)
A declaration of conformance to NAPRD03 test procedures (11.4.3.3)
The DUT description per the PICS/PIXIT (11.4.3.4), any specialized test set-up (11.4.3.5), the tests executed with their category (11.4.3.6)
Results as Pass, Fail, N/A, Declared or Waived, with the cause of any DUT failure (11.4.3.7)
Final hardware and software versions, matching the database; final hardware must carry a production IMEI (11.4.3.8)
For smartphones and devices with separate software components, every relevant software version in the build status, for example protocol stack with SVN and MMI version (11.4.3.9)
A final build declaration (Appendix C) when several labs tested hardware or software that differs from the final build (11.4.3.10)

The Machine Readable Report

Case	MRR required? (11.4.3.7.1)
Initial or Variant, any device type	Yes
ECO where testing is required	Yes
ECO with a different Primary lab from the previous linked certification	Yes
ECO with no testing, or SVN check only, same Primary lab	No
IoT device using a certified module or chipset linked in the database	The module or chipset results need not be included

The MRR lists all test cases for all radio access technologies, bands and band combinations enabled on the device, whatever request number they were run under. The file name is [Request#]_[ModelName]_MRR_yyyymmdd.xlsx, built on the CPWG template, with 15 columns from "Test Specification" to "Comment" (test condition, band, NAPRD03 category, result, date, request number, NAPRD03 version, test platform, lab codes, waiver ID). For an ECO on a device that never had an MRR, the MRR is due within two weeks of ECO approval.

IMEI, TAC and SVN records

For PTCRB devices, CTIA Certification is the IMEI Administrator: it reviews TAC requests, issues TACs, keeps the allocation database and reports TACs to the GSMA as a Reporting Body (PPMD 2.2). The manufacturer requests the TAC through certify.ptcrb.com (8.6).

IMEI   = TAC (8) + serial number (6) + check digit (1) = 15 digits
IMEISV = TAC (8) + serial number (6) + SVN (2)         = 16 digits
PTCRB production TAC: starts with 01 (Reporting Body Identifier)

Rule	PPMD V4.2
Production TACs for PTCRB start with 01; 35 is BABT, 00 is a test IMEI	8.1
One TAC = 1,000,000 units; beyond that, an additional TAC	8.1, 8.2.10
A TAC cannot be shared across model numbers, except when operators allow it for models marketed as a single model, told apart by the SVN	8.2
Each unique model number needs a unique TAC, Variants included; a Variant marketed under the Parent name that shares its TAC must use a distinct SVN	8.2.2, 11.12.3
A TAC is reserved for 120 days and revoked if the device is not certified by then	8.6
Test IMEIs (format `001MMM/00/NNNyyy/zz`, blocks of 1,000) are for prototypes only, never for final certification	8.1, 8.3
The SVN (00 to 98, 99 reserved) goes up, in sequence, whenever the radio or protocol software changes or is recompiled; a hardware change needs a new hardware version	8.2.1, 8.2.3
The lab verifies the SVN with a 3GPP identity test case (for example TS 36.523-1 test 9.1.4.2 for E-UTRA) on release software	8.2.1
Notebook and tablet integrators keep a complete model-number-to-IMEI mapping; module makers keep a mapping of which manufacturer or distributor each IMEI was shipped to; both on operator request	8.2.2.2
The certified IMEI (SV) goes on the Certified list of the North American CEIR and is sent to the GSMA	8.4
The GSMA charges its own TAC allocation fees	8.6

The check digit is the Luhn formula over the first 14 digits (3GPP TS 23.003). The two record-keeping duties in the table are the only IMEI records the PPMD asks a manufacturer to keep.

Changes after certification: the ECO paper trail

An ECO is 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). Security-only patches to the radio stack component, and MMI-only changes, do not need a unique SVN (11.6.1, examples 3 and 4).

Situation	What gets filed	PPMD V4.2
Any ECO	ECO request in the database; the lab decides on full or partial retesting on "objective and defensible criteria" and uploads a report per 11.4.3	11.6.2, 11.6.4, 11.6.5
Antenna change	The lab decides whether TRP, TIS, C-TIS, RSE, NHPRP or NHPIS OTA testing is needed, full or spot-checks	11.6.4
Module ECO	The lab answers the "IoT Device ECO using this Module will require testing" checkbox	11.6.4.1, 11.6.5.1
Software change on several models, SVN check only	Manufacturer runs the SVN check itself and signs the Appendix B declaration; the lab re-checks a sample (one model per five identified, Table 11.6-1)	11.6.9
Band or feature change by software	Allowed through an ECO only if enabled by software, with an updated SVN; never voice on or off; a matching hardware change goes through a Variant with a new model number	11.6.10
Enabling a new technology (3G, 4G, 5G)	A new platform: Initial Certification	11.6.10
Software loaded by FOTA	Must bit-match the certified software, or be certified itself	11.3.2

Notebooks, tablets and rebranding

Notebooks and tablets with a certified module are always entered as an Initial request. A Child Device uploads a Parent/Child declaration (Appendix F); the manufacturer must archive the assessment data behind each declaration, and the Child antenna subsystem must follow the same design specification as the Parent (11.11.6, 11.11.7, 11.11.13).
Rebranding a certified device is an Initial request: the lab uploads the original test report with a Product Equality Letter from the rebranding manufacturer and an Authorization of Use Letter from the original manufacturer, both dated and signed; the rebranding manufacturer obtains its own TAC (11.13.2).

What about a module Integration Guide?

Module makers publish integration or hardware design guides, and an IoT device lab will use them. But no PTCRB document requires one: neither PPMD V4.2 nor NAPRD03 V6.26 mentions an Integration Guide. What the PPMD does require is that the module PICS/PIXIT and test results be available to the Primary lab evaluating an IoT device containing the module (11.9.1). Since PPMD V4.0, the IoT device itself goes through IoT Network Certified, whose requirements are in the How to Get IoT Network Certified guide. The radiated performance rules that do bind the end product are: OTA performance testing is mandatory for all device types (NAPRD03 2.9), and for an IoT device ECO with radiated testing, 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).

Labeling and public listing

PPMD V4.2 and NAPRD03 V6.26 contain no product marking or user-manual wording requirement for the certified device. Certification is made public on the PTCRB website, when certified or 1 to 365 days later at the manufacturer's choice, showing manufacturer, model, device type, technologies and certification dates (11.3.1.12). Operator programs such as AT&T or Verizon have their own rules: see the operator guides below.

Claims the texts contradict

Common claim (including on earlier versions of this page)	What the documents say
"The file contains 21 items: cover letter, manufacturer and trademark info, block diagram, BOM, antenna specs, operational description"	The PPMD manufacturer uploads are PICS/PIXIT, a product description, and two conditional documents (11.3.1.7). Hardware documents are on the lab checklist of Appendix A, which is informative and lab-dependent
"The Integration Guide is the central document of a module certification, typically 50 to 150 pages"	No PTCRB document requires or mentions an Integration Guide; the length figure has no source
"Example TAC: 35123456"	35 is the BABT Reporting Body Identifier; PTCRB production TACs start with 01 (PPMD 8.1)
"The manufacturer must register its IMEIs in the GSMA database"	CTIA Certification, as IMEI Administrator, sends TACs and certified IMEI (SV) to the GSMA (PPMD 2.2, 8.4)
"An IMEI not registered with the GSMA can be refused by operators"	The PPMD rule is about CEIR lists: a device on the Certified list is not denied service for equipment type; operators may deny service to an "Uncertified Listed" device (8.2.5, 8.2.7)
"The Variant receives its own TAC" (always)	Usually, since each model number needs a unique TAC; but a Variant marketed under the Parent name may share its TAC with a distinct SVN (8.2.2, 11.12.3)
"Keep the file for the product lifetime plus 5 to 10 years"	No retention period appears in the PPMD; its record duties are the IMEI mappings (8.2.2.2) and the Parent/Child assessment data (11.11.13.3)
"NAPRD03 has several releases a year" and "budget an annual maintenance line"	NAPRD03 is released four times a year (PPMD 5.2.1); recertification is triggered by changes (ECO, 11.6.1), not by a yearly cycle
"Unlike FCC, PTCRB is not a lifetime certification"	The PPMD sets no expiry date for a device certification; it requires an ECO when hardware or radio software changes. The one three-year limit concerns the NAPRD03 version of a module used in new notebook or tablet platforms (11.11.2)
"Payment and testing costs are one PTCRB fee"	The CTIA Certification fee is fixed in PPMD 11.3.1.11 ($1,000 to $15,000 depending on the request); lab testing is billed separately

Frequently asked questions

Which documents does the manufacturer upload for PTCRB certification?: PPMD V4.2 Section 11.3.1.7 lists them: the PICS/PIXIT for the applicable 3GPP specifications, a product description (a draft is acceptable), an Options Table/ICS/Test Case Mapping document if the device supports Application Enablers, and for Multi-SIM DSDA devices a declaration of radio access technologies, bands, features and IMEI TACs per RF path. All documentation is in English.
Does PTCRB require a module Integration Guide?: No PTCRB document (PPMD V4.2, NAPRD03 V6.26) requires one. The PPMD requires the module PICS/PIXIT and test results to be available to the Primary lab that evaluates an IoT device containing the module (11.9.1), and IoT devices built on a module go through IoT Network Certified.
Must the FCC ID exist before PTCRB certification?: Yes for a device sold in the United States and subject to FCC equipment authorization: the FCC ID must be entered in the PTCRB submission before PTCRB certification is received. The same applies to the ISED ID for Canada. A copy of the grant may be uploaded to speed up the process (PPMD 11.3.1.8).
What is the Machine Readable Report (MRR)?: An Excel file the Primary lab uploads with the final test report, listing every test case for all radio access technologies, bands and band combinations enabled on the device, in 15 fixed columns. It is required for every Initial and Variant, and for an ECO that needs testing or changes Primary lab (PPMD 11.4.3.7.1).