NAL: Mandatory NAL approval for telecommunications products for the Chinese market
16. March 2014The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) of the People’s Republic of China was established in 2008. The MIIT is responsible for the management of public telecommunication networks in the P.R. China and also manages the certification of telecommunication devices. The MIIT is also responsible for the “Network Access License” (NAL) of telecommunications products for the Chinese market. This is a compulsory requirement for telecommunication devices that are connected to the public telecommunication network.
In June 2001, the first 3 product categories for the NAL approval were published. There are about 25 product categories, which include about 300 different telecommunication products that would need NAL approval. Additionally, the products would then be divided into two sub-categories, regular equipment or high-end equipment. It is important that the relevant telecommunication products are not exported to P.R. China without having the necessary NAL approval. Currently there are only 14 MIIT test labs which are authorized to provide NAL approval. Each of these test laboratories is specialized in a particular product group and all of them are accredited by the “Certification and Accreditation Administration” (CNCA).
There are four main types of applications for NAL approval: Application for regular equipment or high-end equipment, change an existing approval or the application for certificate extension.
To apply for NAL certification there are four key steps:
The first step starts with the submission of the application documents. It should be noted that the applicant must be a legal entity located in P.R. China. This is a very important consideration for foreign companies including Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. This authorized after-sales company must be located in the P.R. China and is responsible for the complete import and export, sale and after- sales service. In the second step products tests will be performed in one of the 14 MIIT accredited test labs. In some cases, telecommunication products may need additional certification (other than NAL) including CCC certification. Applicants are advised to start the NAL test process before applying for CCC certification, since parts of the NAL test results are required in the CCC application process, therefore eliminating testing twice. In the third step of the process, a quality audit will take place. Since the MIIT does not perform these audits out of China, foreign factories must be in possession of a valid ISO 9000 certificate before starting the NAL application process. In the fourth and final step the application is approved and a certificate is issued.
If you want to learn more about the NAL approval of telecommunications products please do not hesitate to call or email us with any questions or concerns you may have. We would be happy to support you in the NAL approval process.
