Based on current regulations, various types of telecommunications and ICT devices are required to obtain type approval certification before entering and being marketed in Thailand. Therefore, it is important for manufacturers to understand the type approval certification process for telecommunications and ICT devices in Thailand. The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission or NBTC is a regulatory body for telecommunications and ICT devices in Thailand. Therefore, the type approval certification for Thailand is also known as NBTC certification.
In this article we will discuss all about Thailand NBTC certification process especially for telecommunication devices need to be marketed in Thailand.
Type approval certification in Thailand
Before manufacturers importing their telecommunication devices to Thailand, they need to prepare type approval certification of their telecommunication devices first. In Thailand, the conformity certification for telecommunications and ICT devices is managed by National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC).
NBTC is an independent state regulatory body performing regulatory functions to regulate radio frequency of telecommunication devices and broadcasting in Thailand. Therefore, type approval certification for telecommunications and ICT devices in Thailand is also known as NBTC certification.
Thailand NBTC certification has essentially divided telecommunications devices into Class A and Class B. Telecommunications devices that fall into Class A or Class B must be inspected and certified by the NBTC Office. For telecommunications devices that fall into neither Class A nor Class B, importers must provide written requirements to the NBTC Office stating that their telecommunications and ICT devices have met NBTC standards using the form of Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity (SDoC).
In simple terms, determining one telecommunication equipment into Class A, Class B, or SDoC can be done in following ways:
- Class A: Equipment under Class A must meet NBTC Class A standards by doing registration to NBTC Office. Equipment Class A include drones, wireless microphones, vehicle radar, and satellite communication equipment.
- Class B: Equipment under Class B must meet NBTC Class B standards by doing certification to NBTC Office. Equipment Class B include cellular mobile equipment.
- SDoC: Products under SDoC must meet NBTC standards, but do not required to do registration or certification. Suppliers or operators must submit a declaration of conformity to NBTC Office. Products SDoC include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, RFID, NFC, and SRD equipment.
Requirements of NBTC certification
The most common method for processing Thailand NBTC certification is paperwork method. The document requirements that need to be submitted to NBTC Office for either Class A, Class B, or SDoC are basically the same. Here is a list of the required documents for NBTC certification under paperwork method:
- Application form specified by NBTC Office
- Company registration certificate of the applicants (less than 90 days old)
- ID card or passport of the authorized director issued by Thai authority
- Applicant’s username and password issued by the Department of Business Development (DBD)
- Power of attorney authorization letter
- Catalogue or technical specifications
- Test reports, approval certificate, or certificate of conformity
- Laboratory accreditation certificate
- NBTC certificate (if any)
- Equipment photos show front, back, sides, logo, and type/model of the equipment
Applicants of NBTC certification
Applications for Thailand NBTC certification must be submitted by parties who meet one of the following qualifications:
- Person with Thailand citizenship, or
- Legal entity established under Thailand law.
In the case of a legal entity established under foreign law or domiciled abroad, a personal representative must be present in Thailand. The Thailand legal entity must submit a request to the NBTC Office to assign a 4-digit supplier code as the NBTC applicant.
Lead time of NBTC certification
The lead time of Thailand NBTC certification will be varies depending on the telecommunications equipment class. Furthermore, the application methods (local testing or paperwork) will also determine the lead time of the NBTC inspection and certification process.
Thailand NBTC certification for applications under Class A or Class B is around 6 weeks. Meanwhile, for applications under SDoC category the lead time is relatively shorter, around 2-4 working days. This lead time estimation is based on paperwork method, so doing local testing can result in longer lead time.
Label requirements of NBTC certification
NBTC applicants are required to display inspection marks in the form of NBTC certification labels. The label format is displayed according to the telecommunication devices class category as defined by the NBTC regulations.
Telecommunications equipment under Class A must include the NBTC mark in the following format:
- YYYYYY: Certification Number (6 digits)
- ZZ: Registration Year (last 2 digits)
- XXXX: Business Operator Identification Code (4 digits)
Telecommunications equipment under Class B must include the NBTC mark in the following format:
- AAAAAA: Certification Number (6 digits)
- BB: Registration Year (last 2 digits)
- XXXX: Business Operator Identification Code (4 digits)
Telecommunications devices under SDoC category are not required to include the NBTC mark, but may include the following text statement:
- “เครื่องโทรคมนาคมและอุปกรณ์นี้มีความสอดคล้องตามมาตรฐานหรือข้อกำหนดทางเทคนิค ของ กสทช.”
Translation: This communication device complies with NBTC’s standard or technical requirements.
The marking of NBTC certification label can only be used for types, letters, and models that have been verified and certified by the NBTC office. The NBTC label mark must be included on telecommunication equipment, user manuals, packaging boxes, or display the mark in electronic form (E-label) only in accordance with the specified format.
In addition to the three NBTC mark formats above, suppliers or operators also need to affix a notice label. There are two types of notice labels from NBTC Office, as follows:
- Equipment which required license type, usually for Class A and Class B equipment.
- Equipment exempted from license type, usually for SDoC products.
The marking of notice label need to be affixed on user manual, packaging, or add additional sheet inside the packaging. The size of notice label is specified as 5 cm x 5 cm and can be displayed in the following format:
Validity of NBTC certificates
NBTC certificates can be valid permanently as long as there is no modifications on the RF specifications of the equipment. Modifications of the equipment may affect NBTC standards and technical requirements, and as result the equipment may not comply with standards and need to be re-inspected for compliance purposes.
The modified telecommunications equipment need to do a new verification and inspection through registration for class A, certification for class B, or SDoC. Following are examples of modifications that may result in re-inspection to NBTC standards:
- Replacing the transmitting antenna
- Changing the transmitting power or RF wave characteristics
- Replacing an existing interface card
- Adding a new interface card
Example of NBTC certificates
In the NBTC certificates under SDoC category, several information related to the telecommunication device and applicant will be mentioned. Below is an example of Thailand NBTC certificates for telecommunications devices.
Conclusion
Navigating Thailand type approval certification is not easy, there are many thing we need to know before starting the whole process. Usually some manufacturers also face difficulty to navigate Thailand type approval especially because they have limited knowledge and language barriers to the whole process.
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 Thailand NBTC certification by drop an email to info@narmadi.com for further assistance.
