Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What testing laboratories are recommended for certification?
A: Only accredited and designated testing laboratories are authorized to perform certification testing. A list of WiMAX Forum Designated Certification Laboratories (WFDCL) is located at http://www.wimaxforum.org/certification/certification-overview
Please note that all WFDCL's are technically equivalent. A customer should consider those who meet the geographic and budgetary criteria.
Q: How much does it cost for certification?
A: A product certification cost is the sum of the WFDCL testing fee + the WiMAX Certification Body Fee + the WiMAX Forum Licensing Fee. Candidates should contact a WFDCL for a quote.
Q: Is InterOperability Testing (IOT) part of the certification?
A: Yes, Mobile (MIOT) and Operator (iIOT) are both part of the certification program.
Q: What tools are recommended for pre-certification of a candidate device.
A: The same Protocol Conformance Testing (PCT), Radio Conformance Testing (PCT) automated test equipment used in certification can be used to confirm compliance prior to submission to an WFDCL. In addition the device can be subjected to the following testing; Radio Performance Testing (RPT) to ensure that it's Total Isotropic Sensitivity and Total Radiated Power fall within the specified guidelines. Occupied Bandwidth and Spurious Emission testing to ensure that it meets the most stringent country regulations. Interoperability testing is conducted with 3 mobile devices and 2 base stations.
Q: What protocol and conformance testing will be performed during certification testing?
A: The complete set of required testing is dictated by the Certification Requirement Status List (CRSL). Currently it requires; Protocol conformance (PCT), Radio Conformance (RCT), Network Conformance (NCT) Radio Regulatory (RRT) Mobile Interoperability (MIOT), & Operator Interoperability (iIOT).
Q: Do you have to be a Principle Member to have product certified?
A: Yes, You either have to be WiMAX Forum Principle member or sponsored by a WiMAX Forum Principle member
Q: Is it required to have a WCB (WiMAX Certification Body) assigned?
A: WCB's are manditory. You do have your choice from the list at the bottom of the Certification Overview page.
Certification License Fee Model
Vendors who submit products that are not base stations or reference designs for WiMAX Forum certification will now have an option to either pay a fixed US$10,000 fee or to pay US$0.25 per unit shipped up to a maximum of 60,000 units, at which point certification license fees are no longer collected for the certified product. The WiMAX Forum certification license fee for base stations and reference designs remains at US$10,000 per certified product.
Q: Will the US$0.25 rule affect already certified products?
A: No – this only applies to new products being submitted for certification.
Q: When is the US$0.25 rule in effect?
A: For products delivered to one of the labs as of October 28, 2009.
Q: How does this affect the product family rules delineated in the Certification Program Reference Manual (CPRM)?
A: This does not affect the product family rules. Either the fixed fee or the unit fee would apply to the whole family of products.
Q: What is the licensing fee for products that support multiple profiles?
A: The licensing fee is per certified product. There is no additional cost for products that support multiple profiles.
Q: How and when will the vendor inform the WiMAX Forum of their fee option?
A: Vendors will be asked to choose which certification license fee model they would like to apply to at the time the product is submitted for certification. This choice will be recorded by the certification lab WiMAX Certification Body (WCB) and forwarded to the WIMAX Forum.
Q: How is the WiMAX Forum going to collect licensing fees?
A: Once a product is certified and submitted for inclusion in the product showcase, WiMAX Forum staff will contact the company to invoice either for the fixed fee or the per unit fee. The unit fee requests will continue quarterly until the 60,000 unit maximum is reached.
Q: What are the advantages of either the US$10,000 fee option or the US$0.25 fee option?
A: Vendors can spend US$10,000 up front for products expected to be built in greater than 40,000 unit volume or choose the per unit fee model for product runs expected to be built in less than 40,000 unit volume. Both options offer a way to minimize overall cost for WiMAX Forum certification license fees.
Q: What about the fees associated with either a Class I or Class II change?
A: These fees have been revised to $500 reflect the WiMAX Forum cost to process the change in our product registry.
Q: How is the WiMAX Forum going to ensure that the per unit licensing fees are reported and collected?
A: If a vendor selects per unit option, WiMAX Forum staff will track each product and will request a quarterly report as to the quantities shipped. Based on the quarterly report, invoices will be sent out with payment due within 30 days. Fees are not collected once cumulative product volume for the certified product reaches 60,000 units.
