PTCRB celebrates 20th anniversary
Last week the North American certification forum PTCRB celebrated its 20th anniversary in Toronto
Cellular digital communication based on GSM was started in North America middle of the 90s. During 1997 the then cellular carriers Bell South, Microcell, Western Wireless and others, initiated a new certification scheme for Mobile Phones, called “PTCRB”.
History of PTCRB
Initially PCS 1900 (GSM 1900) and later on GSM 850 were the first ETSI technologies being used in the US and Canada. The PTCRB certification approach was supported from day one by Europeans who had already gained experience with ETSI technologies and joined standards some years before, when GSM was introduced in Germany, Denmark, France and the UK.
Mr. Thomas Jaeger, director business development at 7layers, who is currently chairmen of the PTCRB Validation Group (PVG), was one of the foundation members of the PTCRB.
He is the only one who has supported the North American certification requirements without any interruption until today. Based on a very close and continuous cooperation with the North American network carriers and other stakeholders, it was possible to establish and maintain a joint certification scheme on a very high level, thus enhancing the user experience with regard to interoperability and quality.
PTCRB and the IoT
Today the next evolutionary level is on its way, aiming for the Internet of Things (IoT) with smart devices collecting and exchanging data worldwide. PVG has already established the initial technical measures, required to verify the related technologies which will be implemented in various combinations and in multiple frequency bands. With this very significant step, PTCRB is supporting the evolution from the “connecting people level” to the “connecting machines and smart objects level” of the information society.
At its 88th meeting last week, PTCRB celebrated 20 years of success in providing a joint framework for the certification of mobile phones and wireless connected devices. The celebration was sponsored by 7layers, a leading organization for the certification of smart, connected devices.