For companies developing cellular-enabled products, PTCRB certification is a mandatory gateway to achieving global market access.

Without it, devices risk being rejected by carriers, blocked from regional and international networks, or delayed in deployment. The consequences can be costly, resulting in missed launch windows, increased engineering rework, and compromised client relationships.

Additionally, navigating PTCRB certification can be a complex endeavour for companies. It involves multiple stages, including lab testing and documentation, alongside requirements that vary depending on the device type.

This article aims to demystify PTCRB certification for companies dealing in cellular IoT and telematics devices. We will break down the certification's purpose, outline its importance, and share how electronics manufacturing services (EMS) providers like PCI can help streamline the approval process, bringing your product to market faster and with fewer surprises.

What is PTCRB Certification?

The PCS Type Certification Review Board (PTCRB) certification is a compliance process that ensures cellular devices meet specific technical standards required by mobile network operators in North America and other regions.

Established in 1997, PTCRB certification helps guarantee that devices, including cellular IoT modules and telematics units, can:

• Communicate reliably with mobile networks across multiple carriers.
• Avoid network disruptions caused by non-compliance.
• Enhance end-user experience by minimising dropped connections, ensuring strong data performance, and preventing incompatibility issues.

Some devices that require PTCRB certification include:

• Cellular IoT modules and gateways.
• Telematics control units (TCUs) in fleet and automotive applications.
• GPS trackers for asset monitoring.
• Connected medical devices with cellular capabilities.
• Industrial IoT sensors and controllers that use LTE, LTE-M, NB-IoT, or 5G connectivity.

How is PTCRB Different from Other Certifications?

There are several types of certifications that cellular IoT and telematics devices are required to have before they are deployed. You may wonder why PTCRB certification is necessary when your devices will also have multiple other regional and international certifications.

However, it's important to note that each certification has a specific focus:

FCC Certification: Focuses on electromagnetic compliance (EMC) and radio frequency emissions in the U.S., ensuring that devices do not interfere with other electronic equipment.

CE Marking: Required for products sold in the European Economic Area, covering safety, health, and environmental standards.

In comparison, PTCRB certification is specific to cellular network functionality and interoperability. It is essential to ensure that mobile operators will accept your device as part of their networks.

The PTCRB Certification Process: An Overview

Here is a simple breakdown of the steps involved in acquiring PTCRB certification for cellular IoT and telematics devices:

Why PTCRB Certification is Important for Cellular IoT and Telematics Devices

1. Ensures Compliance & Connectivity

PTCRB certification verifies that a device is fully compliant with 3GPP standards, which are the globally recognised technical specifications defining how cellular networks function.

This ensures that the device's hardware, firmware, and communication protocols align with the requirements needed for stable, high-quality network performance worldwide.

Additionally, a PTCRB-certified device assures major mobile network operators (MNOs) in North America that it meets their strict technical standards. Without this certification, many carriers will refuse to allow a device to connect to their network, regardless of how innovative its features may be.

Crucially, PTCRB compliance helps prevent compatibility issues where a device works in one market or on one carrier's network, but fails in another. This could happen due to differences in frequency bands or communication protocols. Avoiding such a situation is vital for devices like a telematics unit, where performance consistency across regions is non-negotiable.

2. Builds Credibility and Trust with Stakeholders

The acquisition of a PTCRB certification signals to clients, carriers, and business partners that your device has been rigorously tested and meets internationally accepted industry standards for performance, safety, and interoperability.

PTCRB certification tells stakeholders that a device has been independently validated to be reliable and carrier-ready, reducing perceived risk for anyone investing in or deploying your technology.

In other words, a certified device positions your company as a professional, trustworthy player in the IoT and telematics space. In competitive markets, this credibility can be the deciding factor when enterprises or carriers evaluate multiple vendors.

Certification can increase the likelihood of a manufacturer being considered for future deployments, pilot programs, or exclusive contracts.

3. Ensures Device Viability and Longevity

PTCRB testing goes beyond simple interoperability checks. It assesses devices against firmware, hardware, and communication protocol requirements to ensure they can operate reliably across diverse network environments.

This includes verifying performance during network technology transitions, such as the introduction of new frequency bands and network features.

PTCRB certification helps ensure that a device is more likely to remain compatible with future network upgrades, without expensive redesigns or retrofits. This state of readiness will both protect your investment and allow end-users to enjoy consistent device performance over time.

For example, a telematics control unit (TCU) used in connected trucks may function perfectly on current LTE networks. However, there is no guarantee that it will continue to perform as effectively when carriers implement new network features or phase out older protocols.

With PTCRB certification, the TCU is tested for compatibility with evolving communication protocols and carrier requirements. This reduces costly field replacements and protects the investment in hardware already deployed across an entire fleet.

4. Supports the Scalability of Deployments

Because they have already undergone rigorous testing to validate interoperability, PTCRB-certified devices are ready for large-scale rollouts under a wide range of operating conditions.

Consider a company preparing to deploy 10,000 GPS-enabled asset trackers across logistics hubs in North America. When those devices are PTCRB-certified, they can be rolled out faster with minimal network issues.

This is because the certification has already validated the device's interoperability with major carriers, eliminating the need to repeatedly test the GPS trackers in each location. Nationwide deployment can be sped up, and the company can focus on key operations instead of troubleshooting connectivity and reconfiguration issues.

This level of assurance is critical for fleet operators, logistics companies, or city-wide IoT infrastructure projects, who all rely on consistent, excellent performance regardless of geographic location.

5. Saves Internal Resources Through Independent Third-Party Testing

An essential stage in the PTCRB certification is the involvement of accredited third-party laboratories. These labs handle the entire compliance testing process, covering areas such as RF performance, protocol conformance, and interoperability.

By outsourcing these important and resource-intensive tasks, companies can avoid the substantial investment needed to develop and maintain their own in-house testing facilities. Much of this equipment can be highly specialised, expensive, and require replacement as they become outdated.

Additionally, independent testing ensures consistency and reliability, as the labs follow standardised test cases that are recognised and accepted by major mobile network operators.

This streamlines the certification process and reduces the risk of delays caused by potential conflicting interpretations of compliance requirements.

How PCI Supports Clients in the PTCRB Certification Process

With extensive experience in developing PTCRB-certified devices for both IoT and telematics applications, PCI combines its expertise in electronics manufacturing with a proven track record in compliance-driven product design.

As a globally trusted EMS provider, we have successfully delivered solutions ranging from GPS-enabled telematics control units to advanced cellular IoT gateways. Along the way, we ensured that every device meets the stringent technical and regulatory requirements for network interoperability.

Our integrated services include:

• Prototyping, PCB design, and PCB assembly to support early-stage design refinement and faster time to market.
• Pre-certification engineering to identify and address any potential compliance issues before formal testing.
• In-house testing and validation help reduce rework costs and avoid delays by catching issues early.

Additionally, our engineering best practices prioritise PTCRB-aligned design from the start, covering hardware architecture, firmware development, and radio interface integration.

PCI also provides regulatory and certification support with hands-on guidance throughout the PTCRB process, from lab coordination to test case management.

With us, clients experience a faster, smoother, and fully compliant certification journey, helping clients bring IoT and telematics innovations to market at scale with confidence.

PTCRB Certification Success Starts with the Right EMS Partner

PTCRB certification is essential for ensuring your cellular IoT and telematics devices meet global compliance and connectivity standards.

With PCI as your electronics manufacturing and EMS provider partner, you can look forward to end-to-end support, from prototyping and PCB design to in-house pre-certification testing.

Our proven expertise helps you avoid costly delays, accelerate time-to-market, and launch devices that perform flawlessly across networks.

Contact our friendly team today to learn more about how we can support your PTCRB certification journey.