Test Specifications
Certification
Certification
has always been valuable. This is still so but times have
changed. It is no longer a regulatory process entailing expensive
bureaucracy. Today, everyone has recognized the needs for speed,
flexibility, reduced costs in certification, and, concurrently, the imperative
to earn the buyer's confidence
in a certification label.
Certification is now largely conducted by
industry fora. The product
can use the results in its branding and there is usually a logo for
packaging or product labelling. Certification activities are increasing in
both the IP and telecommunications domains, one reason being that manufacturers
want to ensure a recognizable level of quality and interoperability to merit
consumer confidence in the logo and brand.
A manufacturer can self-certify its product.
Self-certification often culminates the product's development testing and is an
economical alternative often demanded by users and operators.
ETSI is
involved in its members' and other organizations' certification activities but does
not actually conduct the certification process itself. Our test
specifications are available on request for use in the certification process. We can also be a neutral custodian of
certification test suites or an issuer of certificates following successful
certification testing by an authorized laboratory or organization.
Having
learned over the years, we can provide suggestions for avoiding pitfalls. For example, the
strict use of only interoperability testing
for certification is strongly discouraged because some required functionalities
will likely be missed. Combinations of conformance test suites and
interoperability tests can be the basis of an excellent certification testing
program.
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