GCF membership accommodates different types of Device and Application Vendors
A GCF manufacturer membership is required to certify devices. Also, GCF Manufacturer Members can include Remote SIM Provisioning for eSIM and/or oneM2M compliance as part of the standard GCF certification process for a product.
Manufacturer (Full Manufacturer membership)
A GCF manufacturer member (full membership) is a legal entity responsible for the development, manufacturing and supply of connected products, which takes full responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of both the device certification and the ongoing maintenance of the GCF certification criteria during the lifecycle of the product. Manufacturers with full membership have voting rights in GCF organization.
Manufacturers with full membership are required to have ISO 9001 accreditation. They have voting rights for work item development and can actively engage on technology development within GCF. They are also eligible for Board of Directors or Chair/Vice chair positions of Agreement Groups.
Associate Manufacturer I (personal devices)
Companies with an Associate Manufacturer I (AMM I) membership can certify in GCF any product, including MCX Client Platforms, with the exception of wireless modules, platforms or IoT Chipsets.
AMM I manufacturers have a reduced set of membership benefits compared with full manufacturer members.
Certification of 3GPP-based Mission Critical Services Clients is possible with both a Full Manufacturer or an Associate Manufacturer I membership.
Associate Manufacturer II (connected devices)
Companies with an Associate Manufacturer II (AMM II) membership can certify a product where the 3GPP functionality is not the primary function, that embeds a GCF certified module or that references a GCF certified platform (including a Mission Critical Services Client or Client Platform).
AMM II manufacturer membership is recommended for vendors of IOT End Products where 3GPP connectivity is not the main functionality of the devices, and is provided by GCF-certified modules.
AMM II manufacturers have a lower fee, and also a reduced set of membership benefits compared with full manufacturer members.
This category is not suitable to certify smartphones, feature phones, wireless modules, platforms or IoT Chipsets.
Devices and Features
Upon certain conditions, Remote SIM provisioning for Consumer eSIM and OneM2M compliance can also be certified as standalone features, without the need of a GCF Manufacturer membership.
These manufacturer membership classes can accommodate many different device and application vendors, producing many different kinds of devices.
If you want to know more, please select below the type of product of your interest.
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Consumer Devices |
Consumer devices are traditionally the largest product category in GCF certification. This category includes smartphone, feature phones, tablets, connected PCs/laptops, personal hotspots and any other device category for the connection of individuals.
Certification of end-products require a Full Manufacturer membership or an Associate Manufacturer I membership (for end products based on GCF certified modules).
Certain product types, such as tablets or connected PCs where the connectivity is provided by a pre-certified GCF module, may be certified leveraging an Associate Manufacturer II membership.
GCF allows for the certification of Remote SIM provisioning (RSP) functionality for GSMA Consumer eSIM (GSMA SGP.23) as part of the certification of consumer devices.
Upon certain conditions, compliance with RSP for consumer eSIM can be done as a standalone feature, without the need of a GCF Manufacturer membership.
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Modules, IoT Products and services |
Since 2023, Cellular Wireless modules have become the largest product category in GCF certification, surpassing Smartphones. This category includes products implementing many different Radio Access Technologies, from Enhanced Mobile broadband products seeking the maximum data speed in 5G SA, to low-power wide area (LPWA) devices, based on NB-IoT or LTE Cat-M, seeking optimisation of coverage and power consumption.
Certification of modules require a Full Manufacturer membership.
Fully integrated IoT End products can be certified with either a Full Manufacturer membership or an Associate Manufacturer I membership.
Certification of IoT End products based on GCF pre-certified wireless modules can be done leveraging an Associate Manufacturer II membership.
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Certification of Remote SIM provisioning (RSP) functionality of GSMA Consumer eSIM (GSM SGP.32) in devices is typically done as part of a complete GCF certification of the device.
GCF also certifies Remote SIM provisioning (RSP) functionality of GSMA M2M eSIM (GSM SGP.02) for IoT products and is working with industry players on the introduction of the newer IoT eSIM (GSMA SGP.32).
Certification of a connected product including compliance with RSP for eSIM requires an appropriate manufacturer membership, that will depend on the type of product being certified.
Upon certain conditions, compliance with RSP for Consumer eSIM can be done as a standalone feature (i.e. for variants of connected laptops).
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Automotive Devices |
GCF certifies every year significant number of cellular wireless modules and connected Automotive End Devices (i.e. TCUs – Telematic Control Units) for the automotive sector.
In addition, GCF has partnered with 5GAA (www.5gaa.org) for the development of a certification program for Cellular Vehicle to-everything (C-V2X) and maintains a Connected Vehicle work stream jointly with 5GAA for the development of the technology. You can find more information here.
By obtaining GCF certification, vendors offering automotive devices can gain a competitive advantage, meet stringent regulatory demands, and provide assurance of product conformance and interoperability to their customers.
By leveraging the GCF certification framework, automotive vendors can also optimize the performance of their products with different networks and road-side infrastructure devices, and foster a consistent, high-quality experience for their customers.
GCF membership also provides access to technical expertise, industry collaboration opportunities, and a pathway to stay ahead of emerging technologies and standards.
Certification of 3GPP-based Automotive devices is possible with both a Full Manufacturer (for automotive modules) or an Associate Manufacturer II membership (for end products based on GCF certified modules).
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Mission Critical Devices and Services (MCX) |
GCF has partnered with TCCA (www.tcca.info) for the development of a certification program for Broadband Mission Critical Services (commonly referred as MCS or MCX). You can find more information here.
By obtaining GCF certification, vendors offering mission-critical devices, client applications (and in the future servers) can gain a competitive advantage, meet stringent regulatory demands, and provide assurance of product conformance and interoperability to end-users.
By leveraging the GCF certification framework, Mission Critical Devices and Services vendors can also optimize the performance of their products with different networks and mission critical servers, and foster a consistent, high-quality experience for their customers.
GCF membership also provides access to technical expertise, industry collaboration opportunities, and a pathway to stay ahead of emerging technologies and standards.
Certification of 3GPP-based Mission Critical Services Clients is possible with a Full Manufacturer or an Associate Manufacturer I or II membership.
Certification on MCS software client application only and/or client platform to enable mission-critical functionalities on the device, such as Mission Critical Push-To-Talk (MCPTT), can be done as part of a certified device (with a Full Manufacturer or an Associate Manufacturer I membership), or as an independent, standalone product. In this case, and Associate Manufacturer II membership would be sufficient.
Membership fees
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Membership Type
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Membership fee
Euro (€) |
Membership fee*
GBP (£) |
Membership fee* USD ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer (full membership) | 10,000 | 8,300 | 10,400 |
| Associate Manufacturer I (AAM I) | 10,000 | 8,300 | 10,400 |
| Associate Manufacturer II (AAM II) | 5,000 | 8,300 | 5,200 |
Membership Privileges
Membership Privileges |
Manufacturer
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Associate Manufacturer I
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Associate Manufacturer II
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|---|---|---|---|
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Election to the Board of Directors
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✓ |
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Voting at SG meetings
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✓ |
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Voting at General meetings
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✓ |
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Chair of Steering Group (SG)
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✓ |
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Proposal of Work Items
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✓ |
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Rapporteur of Work Items
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✓ |
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Selection of test cases for Work Items
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✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Access to DCC test case database | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
* Related with Mission Critical Services
Product Related Rights
Membership Privileges |
Manufacturer
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Associate Manufacturer I
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Associate Manufacturer II
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|---|---|---|---|
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Consumer Devices
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✓
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✓ |
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| Modules and Chipsets |
✓
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| IoT End products | ✓ | ✓ |
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| References Platforms | ✓ | ✓ |
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| Products with embedded certified modules or chipsets | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mission Critical Services clients | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Remote SIM provisioning for eSIM | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| oneM2M compliance | ✓ | ||
| Notification of certified products | |||
| Right to challenge product cerfifications |
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