Based on current regulations, various types of telecommunications and ICT devices are required to obtain type approval certificates before entering and being marketed in Brazil. Therefore, it is important for manufacturers to understand the process of type approval certification for telecommunications and ICT devices in Brazil.
The Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações or ANATEL is a Brazilian national agency responsible for regulating and managing the certification procedures for telecommunications and ICT devices in Brazil. Therefore, the type approval certification for Brazil is also known as ANATEL certification.
In this article we will discuss all about Brazil ANATEL certification for telecommunications and ICT devices before being marketed in Brazil.
Type Approval Certification in Brazil
Before manufacturers importing their telecommunications devices to Brazil, they need to prepare type approval certification first. In Brazil, the type approval certification for telecommunications and ICT devices is managed by the Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações (ANATEL).
ANATEL is a national telecommunications agency that responsible for regulating technical standards and managing spectrum allocation in Brazil, including issue the type approval certificates for telecommunications products. Therefore, type approval certification for telecommunications and ICT devices in Brazil is also known as ANATEL certification.
Basically, the ANATEL certification process will require a two-step type approval: conformity certification and homologation. The conformity certification process is managed by Designated Certification Body or Organismo de Certificação Designado (OCD) authorized by ANATEL. After obtaining the Certificate of Conformity from OCD, the product must be registered with ANATEL for legal status or homologation process.
Before processing the ANATEL certification, manufacturers may need to understand the type of product subject to ANATEL certification based on ANATEL Act No.7280. The type of product will determine the conformity assessment method and conformity assessment model to be applied to the product.
Requirements of ANATEL Certification
Most of the time the ANATEL certification requires two main steps: local testing and homologation. Local testing is required when processing telecommunications equipment under the “Certification” as the conformity assessment method. However, for telecommunications equipment under “Declaration of Conformity”, the paperwork process may sufficient.
Before performing the local testing, manufacturers first need to contact the Designated Certification Body (OCD) for coordination on the documents review and defines required testing for the products. Here is list of the required documents for ANATEL certification under local testing method:
- Product technical documentation
- Test reports
- User manual in Portuguese
- Labels
- Declaration of conformity
- Power supply information
- Internal and external photos
- Schematics diagrams
- Valid ISO 9001 certificate of the manufacturing site in Portuguese
Applicants of ANATEL Certification
For ANATEL certification, the applicants must be a Brazilian-registered entity with valid CNPJ who also act as local entity that responsible for the telecommunications product in Brazil. Therefore, foreign manufacturers cannot apply for ANATEL certification directly, they must appoint local registered companies in Brazil. The local companies could be a local manufacturer, local importer, authorized distributor or a legal representative in Brazil.
Lead Time of ANATEL Certification
Since the ANATEL certification involves several stages during its type approval process, the lead time is relatively longer compared to other countries, around 8-12 weeks. However, the estimated lead time may vary depending on product complexity and the availability of testing laboratories in Brazil.
In general, the process for ANATEL type approval will be carried out under four different entities with different responsibilities in each stage, as follows:
| Entity Name | Type Approval Activity |
| Manufacturer | 1). Provides the technical information of the product. 2). Selects the Designated Certification Body (OCD). 3). Chooses the testing laboratories. 4). Submits additional requirement documents to ANATEL. |
| Designated Certification Body (OCD) | 1). Reviews the technical information of the product supplied by manufacturer. 2). Determines the applicable test requirements of the product. 3). Reviews the test reports issued by testing laboratories. 4). Issues the Certificate of Conformity and submit to ANATEL. |
| Testing Laboratory | 1). Performs product testing in accordance with applicable regulations determined by OCD. 2). Issues test reports for OCD review. |
| ANATEL | 1). Reviews documents submitted by manufacturer and OCD. 2). Issues Certificate of Homologation for the product. |
Label Requirements of ANATEL Certification
After a telecommunication product obtain ANATEL homologation certificate, it is mandatory for manufacturers to affix a compliance mark set by ANATEL. For Brazil type approval, the compliance mark must be affixed with the ANATEL expression format followed by the homologation code with format HHHHH-AA-FFFFF, where:
- HHHHH: Homologation number
- AA: Year of issuance of the homologation certificate
- FFFFF: Code of manufacturer of the product
Manufacturers can verify the homologation code on the ANATEL homologation certificate, the homologation code must be assigned by ANATEL. Alternatively, electronic identification (e-label) or QR code identification may be used.
Validity of ANATEL Certificates
The validity period of Brazil homologation certificate may vary depends on the type of product. The product type must be determined according to ANATEL Act No.7280 for reference list of products for telecommunications in Brazil. There are two types of telecommunications products regulated under ANATEL Act No. 7280.
Products intended for general public use require certification based on type testing with periodic evaluation of the product and factory management system every two (2) years. And for infrastructure and professional-use products, certification based on type testing with periodic evaluation of the product and factory management system every three (3) years.
Example of ANATEL Certificates
Several information related to the telecommunication devices and applicants will be mentioned in the ANATEL certificates. For more details, you may check the following example of the issued ANATEL certificate.
Conclusion
Navigating Brazil type approval certification is not easy, there are many things we need to know before starting the whole process. Usually, some manufacturers face difficulty to navigate Brazil ANATEL certification due to knowledge limitation and language barriers to the whole type approval process in Brazil.
To avoid these issues happening, the existence of a type approval service partner is important for manufacturers. You can consult with our expert team about Brazil ANATEL certification by drop an email to info@narmadi.com for further assistance.
