Certification Marks

The A-tick indicates compliance with the requirements for telecommunications equipment of Australia and New Zealand.  Equipment cannot be legally placed on the market or connected to a public telecommunications network unless the equipment carries the A-tick.

Mobile telephones, web pads and Machine to Machine (M2M) devices that contain embedded 2G and/or 3G cellular modems are all subject to A-tick approval.

It is not generally necessary to display the C-tick on equipment that already has A-tick approval, because C-tick requirements are a subset of A-tick requirements. Accessories for A-tick devices (such as chargers for example) will however require C-tick approval and must be marked accordingly.

Device manufacturers can significantly reduce the level of certification testing required by integrating a pre-qualified, A-tick compliant cellular modem. Such products will then be marked with both the C-tick and the A-tick, with the C-tick mark applying to the host product and the A-tick mark applying to the embedded modem.

The A-Tick is a protected symbol and permission must be sought from the Australian Communications Media Authority (ACMA) or from the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) in New Zealand before use.  The ACMA and MBIE will only grant permission to use the A-tick compliance mark to manufacturers and importers, or to their authorised agents based in Australia and New Zealand respectively.  Manufacturers based outside Australia and New Zealand will therefore require an in-country partner.

If permission to use the A-tick is granted, the ACMA will issue the applicant with a supplier code prefixed by the letter ‘N’. Alternatively, the MBIE will issue the applicant with a supplier code prefixed by the letter ‘Z’.

The C-tick indicates compliance with Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC), Electromagnetic Emissions (EME) and Radiocommunications requirements of Australia and New Zealand.  Equipment cannot be legally placed on the market or taken into use unless the equipment carries the C-tick.

All radio communications devices, including Short Range Radio (SRD) devices, are subject to C-tick approval.

The C-Tick is a protected symbol and permission must be sought from the Australian Communications Media Authority (ACMA) or from the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) in New Zealand before use.  The ACMA and MBIE will only grant permission to use the C-tick compliance mark to manufacturers and importers, or to their authorised agents based in Australia and New Zealand respectively.  Manufacturers based outside Australia and New Zealand will therefore require an in-country partner.

If permission to use the C-tick is granted, the ACMA will issue the applicant with a supplier code prefixed by the letter ‘N’. Alternatively, the MBIE will issue the applicant with a supplier code prefixed by the letter ‘Z’.

The Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM) may be used as an alternative to the A-Tick and C-Tick compliance marks.  The RCM indicates compliance with the applicable Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC), Electromagnetic Emissions (EME), Radiocommunications and product safety requirements of Australia and New Zealand.

The RCM is a registered trademark, owned by Australian and New Zealand regulators.  The conditions for its use by suppliers are set out in a Standard, AS/NZS4417.  It is necessary to register the intention to use the RCM before it may be applied to product.

The CE mark indicates compliance with all applicable European Directives.  CE marking is a mandatory regulatory requirement for a wide range of products including all electrical and electronic products and all radio communications equipment.

Should a Notified Body be used during the conformity assessment process, the Notified Body number must be shown after the CE mark.

Radio equipment that makes use of spectrum that has not been fully harmonised across Europe must display the alert mark.

The primary purpose of CE marking legislation is to prevent national legislation from presenting a barrier to the free movement of products within the European market, whilst ensuring an appropriate level of consumer and environmental protection.

CE marking Directives generally provide a significant level of flexibility regarding the way in which compliance with the essential requirements of the Directive may be demonstrated.  This flexibility allows unnecessary testing to be avoided and also enables new, innovative products to be brought to market, irrespective of whether applicable Harmonised Standards are available.

Once it has been determined that a product satisfies the essential requirements of all applicable CE marking Directives, the Manufacturer (or its Authorised Representative) may execute a Declaration of Conformity (DoC) before affixing the CE mark and placing the product on the European market.  This self-certification process is significantly less onerous and significantly more streamlined than the arrangements that existed before the New Approach, CE marking Directives came into force.

For some products (e.g. Medical Equipment) it is necessary to seek the expert opinion of a Notified Body as part of the process for determining compliance with European requirements.  But Notified Body services are generally very efficient at reviewing well structured submissions, so this additional step need not have a material impact on the overall approvals time-line.

In Europe, it is the responsibility of the Manufacturer (or its Authorised Representative) to ensure that product continues to satisfy regulatory requirements throughout its commercial life.  This makes it necessary for manufacturers to review the impact of any equipment design changes on the DoC. The flexibility built into most CE Marking Directives often makes it possible to use an Engineering risk assessment to determine whether or not testing will be required to ensure that regulatory compliance is maintained.

Manufacturers must also track the applicable regulatory requirements as CE Marking Directives and the associated Harmonised Standards continue to evolve and must evaluate the impact of these changes on the DoC.  From time to time, changes to regulatory requirements may trigger the need to retest product to new technical standards and in some instances it may prove necessary to modify the design of the product in order to maintain compliance.

Whether or not a Notified Body is involved as part of the process for determining compliance, it is important to ensure that the product approval is based on a robust evidence base that will stand up to scrutiny.  From time to time, National Regulatory Authorities will ask for evidence of compliance in accordance with their duty to undertake market surveillance and appropriate enforcement action.

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive, 2012/19/EU, makes it a requirement for manufacturers to display the crossed-out “wheely bin” symbol on all Electrical and Electronic Equipment that is to be placed on the European market.

The crossed-out “wheely bin” symbol is not a certification mark, but is intended to ensure that consumers and equipment users understand that they should take special steps to dispose of the product when end of life.

The WEEE Directive is part of a series of European legislation that is designed to contribute to the efficient use of resources, the retrieval of valuable materials and to reduce the quantity of toxic and hazardous waste which might otherwise pollute the environment.

The WEEE Directive is designed to provide an incentive for producers to consider the opportunity for recycling as part of the product design process by making producers responsible financing the cost of the collection, treatment, recovery and environmentally sound disposal of WEEE.

Producers placing products on the UK market are required to register with a Producer Compliance Scheme (PCS). The PCS will require producers to disclose the quantity of EEE placed on the UK market and will use this information to calculate the charge that the producer will be required to pay.

All equipment destined for the United States of America and that might cause radio frequency interference is subject to the requirements of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

For certain classes of equipment, it is possible to have product tested at an authorised laboratory before signing a Declaration of Conformity and affixing an equipment label.  In many respects this is similar to the self-certification process that applies to many products within Europe.

For other products, including radio communications products, it is necessary to apply the certification route to demonstrate compliance.  Certification requires the submission of a technical file (including test reports from an authorised laboratory) either directly to the FCC or to a Telecommunications Certification Body (TCB).  TCBs are authorised to grant approvals on behalf of the FCC.

Providing that approval is granted, the manufacturer may then display the FCC identification number on the product.  The FCC identification number comprises two parts.  The first part is the manufacturer's FCC grantee code.  This three digit alphanumeric code is issued by the FCC and will apply to any product produced by the manufacturer.  The second part of the FCC identification number is a unique equipment code that is determined by the manufacturer.  The manufacturer must ensure that each product (model number) has a unique equipment code.

A product which incorporates a wireless module that already has FCC approval, would normally display the module's FCC identification number.  Should a product contain more than one radio device, it may be necessary to display two or more FCC identification numbers, one for each radio device.

Since Bluetooth certification is an industry certification scheme, certification is not mandatory.  However, the Bluetooth logo is protected as a trademark and may not be used unless the product has been shown to comply with the standards defined by the Special Interest Group (SIG).  It is also necessary to become a member of the Bluetooth SIG before applying the Bluetooth logo to any product.  Adopter membership does not provide voting rights, but is sufficient to allow usage of the logo on certified product and is free of charge.

Bluetooth compliance requirements include both radio transmitter and receiver tests as well as an extensive set of protocol and interoperability tests.

Device manufacturers can significantly reduce the level of certification testing required by integrating a pre-qualified radio modem.

Since Wi-Fi Alliance certification is an industry certification scheme, certification is not mandatory.  However, the Wi-Fi certified logo is protected as a trademark by the Wi-Fi Alliance and may not be used unless the product has been shown to comply with the standards defined by the Wi-Fi Alliance.  It is also necessary to become a member of the Wi-Fi Alliance before applying the Wi-Fi certified logo to any product.  The annual membership fee is currently $15,000.

Wi-Fi compliance requirements include conformance testing to critical elements of applicable 802.11x IEEE radio standards as well as compatibility (interoperability) tests and performance (throughput) tests.