(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) As the sales of smartphones, tablets and electronic gadgets are on the rise with fast development on technology front, device certification from leading international and local brands also recorded double-digit growth in 2014.
Global Certification Forum (GCF), which is now recognized globally as the de facto standard for mobile device certification, noted 21.78 per cent increase in device certification last year as record 531 devices were certified compared to 436 in 2013.
Juergen Meyer, GCF Steering Group Chairperson"The rate of certification has increased as the range of technologies and functionalities incorporated in mobile phones and devises has increased. We have so far certified more than 3,800 devices since the establishment of the forum in 1999," Juergen Meyer, GCF Steering Group Chairperson, told Khaleej Times on the sidelines of GCF Agreement Group meetings in Dubai. The two-day event, organised in collaboration with du, held for the first time in Middle East.
GCF is responsible to maintain and operate a certification scheme for new mobile devices such as handsets, smartphones, tablets, dongles, MiFis and routers. It became a not-for-profit private company limited by guarantee in May 2008 and incorporated in the United Kingdom.
According to latest GCF data, mobile and wireless devices' certification sustained steady upward trend in past six years as the numbers for certified devices increased from 379 in 2009 to 531 last year, reflecting a healthy growth of 40.1 per cent. The trend to certify the devices increased with the popularity of smartphones and emergence of tablets during the period. It is important to note that worldwide sales of smartphones to end-users are expected to reach 301 million units in 2014.
The forum, which certified only 12 devices in 2000, didn't notice any significant increase in certification until 2006 when 222 mobile and wireless gadgets were certified. The upward trend in certification continued until 2012 when numbers for certified devices declined for the first time from 479 in 2011 to 430.
"GCF's ethos of 'Test once, use anywhere' has made an important contribution to expanding the overall global mobile market by increasing the choice of trusted devices. Certification has helped create efficiencies, improve economies of scale and so reduce both costs and time-to-market for the benefit of the wider industry," said Meyer, who also represents BlackBerry.
To a question, he said a GCF-certified logo was introduced in early 2014 for use by manufacturer members on devices, packaging or marketing materials.
"Use of the logo is a decision for each individual manufacturer. As GCF certification improves the user experience, the GCF logo could help a manufacturer differentiate their certified devices from uncertified devices offered especially in markets where operators play a less prominent role in phone distribution."
Mena representation
GCF's 280-plus members include leading mobile network operators representing all the key markets worldwide, over 70 device manufacturers and other stakeholders such as test system suppliers and test laboratories. A record total of 46 companies have joined GCF during 2014.
"We have six associate operator members from Middle East and North Africa region. Du is the only associate member from the UAE while Etisalat and Vodafone in Egypt, Mobile Telecommunications Co and National Mobile Telecommunications Co in Kuwait and Palestine Telecom Co are other associate members in the region," he said.
Meyer said one of GCF current associate operator members from Mena is considering upgrading to (full) operator member status and there are other applications pending or expected from the region.
"We expect more representations from the region. As Mena operators expand regionally or globally and devices become increasingly sophisticated, 'test once, use anywhere' certification will become an increasingly valuable tool in coming years," he said.
Welcome all players
To a question about major initiative for Mena region, he said GCF welcomes all players in the global mobile market.
Du keen to play active role
Dubai - Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company, popularly known as du, is keen to play an active role in region's telecom industry through its latest initiative of Terminal Innovation Lab, its senior official says.
Saleem Al Blooshi, executive vice-president for network development and operations at du, said UAE is leading the technology innovation and new initiatives in the region. He said du network is offering almost all Radio access technologies including 2G, 3G, 4G and WiFi.
"It is a great honour for the company to set up Middle East's first state-of-the-art Terminal Innovation Lab in the UAE. The facility will help the company to accelerate device assessment, reduce time-to-market and boost users' experience," Al Blooshi told Khaleej Times on the sidelines of an event in Dubai.
"Becoming the first company in the Middle East to become a Field Trial Qualified Operator and to host GCF agreement group meetings is a matter of great national pride and marks an important strategic achievement for the UAE. This achievement will further encourage leading device manufactures to conduct GCF Field Trials on du's network as part of the certification process and provide valuable insights into the interoperability of new terminals on our network.
"All of this will enable us to enhance our services to provide a seamless user experience, which is in line with the vision of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to establish the UAE as a global leader in all aspects and as an innovator in technology in the Middle East region," Al Blooshi said.
Du is the first telecom service provider in the Middle East to achieve Global Certification Forum's (GCF) accreditation. It conceptualised the terminal innovation lab to improve mobile device testing and validation to further enhance the end-users experience.
Juergen Meyer, GCF Steering Group Chairperson, said GCF's recognised test organisation (RTO) scheme recognises test organisations in three distinct disciplines i-e conformance testing, field trials and interoperability testing.
"At present there are a total of 85 GCF RTOs across the three disciplines," he said.
Meyer said any GCF member that can demonstrate they have the skills, experience and facilities to undertake the prescribed testing in one or more of these disciplines can apply for RTO status. At present, RTOs tend to be located close to the centres of device design and development or manufacture € North America, Greater China and Europe.
"Field Trial Qualified (FTQ) networks provide the necessary infrastructure for the field trial component of certification. GCF currently lists 22 FTQ networks worldwide, and we are pleased to have du as the first FTQ network in Mena," he said.
"FTQ operators benefit from interacting with certifying manufacturers and we would welcome other Mena operators as FTQs. Having FTQs that provide access to all network systems provided by all the infrastructure vendors is important to GCF," Meyer said.
- muzaffarrizvi@khaleejtimes.com
"We are keen to extend our relationships with players in all regions, but particularly those where we are underrepresented. It's been really valuable to have held meetings here in Dubai and we will be happy to meet with Mena-based operators, who are planning to attend the forthcoming Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Mena operators are well represented at that event," he said.
About any negative impact of low Mena representation on devices certification, he said the manufacturers marketed the same phones in Europe and Mena so, typically, phones available in the region were generally GCF certified. However, more recently low-cost mobile phones, that have not been certified, have started to appear.
"India, in particular, has experienced network and customer experience issues with poorly performing devices. We are taking a two-pronged approach. We are cooperating with operators to promote certification in order to avoid similar issues in other regions.
"At the same time, we are actively promoting the benefits of certification in those countries where these low-cost phones are being manufactured € and we are seeing some success as our membership in these regions is expanding," he said.
Apple membership
Meyer said Apple is the only main manufacturer among leading international brands who do not opt for GCF certification for its products.
"GCF welcomes members from across the mobile industry and it is for each member to decide which category of membership best meets their particular needs. Apple currently participates in GCF as an observer member," he said.
Elaborating, he said manufacturer members are not obliged to certify products. However, by engaging with GCF they are demonstrating a commitment to delivering interoperable devices to the end-users.
"GCF is aware that some manufacturers prefer to undertake 'private certifications': they follow GCF procedures, but only share the resulting test data with selected operator partners. In doing so, they may miss out on the benefits offered by GCF's publication system that notifies all its 200+ operator and associate operator members of each newly certified device," Meyer concluded.
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