Accreditation and Certification

Accreditation and certification

The GSMA Accreditation and Global Certification Forum (GCF) Certification.

Setting the standard

Interoperability and Testing (IOT) enables a company to verify the maturity of their implementation prior to commercial launch or operator’s acceptance testing. The formal statement of GSMA Accreditation or GCF Certification indicates that a device, stand-alone app or operator service offering is compliant with the RCS specification and interoperable with other devices, apps or operator services also awarded Accreditation or Certification.

The GSMA defines five streams in the accreditation process:

  1. Operators: providing RCS services to users;
  2. RCS client providers: producing independent software for end-user devices or embedded solutions from Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) supporting provisioning of RCS services in the operator’s network, or as downloadable clients for use on smartphones;
  3. Hosted solutions: an RCS service offering based on infrastructure components, typically an IMS core and RCS service nodes, independent of any access network; and
  4. Network API-based Products Providers (N-APIs): companies delivering products such as RCS Web thin client, RCS Network API Gateway, RCS Network APIs Application Servers and other RCS Web Solutions (gateway+client).
  5. Test Tool Providers, companies supplying solutions to Operators for automated RCS end-to-end testing by emulation of RCS clients.

Get started on self-accreditation

To maximise the synergies between providers and vendors and to accelerate time to market, the GSMA’s accreditation process is a self-organised one.

RCC.17 End to End Test Specification, RCS Universal Profile v1.0 (based on RCC.71 v1.0)

Please note that the formal accreditation process for the RCS Universal Profile will be open once the first accredited devices and networks available (expected in 1st quarter 2018).

joyn Crane Priority Release (based on joyn Crane Product Definition Document).

For joyn Crane Priority Relea Client Providers (except for those seeking Accreditation Ready status) see ‘Obtaining a Global Certification Forum (GCF) Certificate section below. For all other parties, to undertake the self-accreditation process towards joyn Crane Priority Relea for your products:

Step 1. Download and review the Self-accreditation Handbook and documents.
Step 2. When you have successfully completed the self-accreditation process, please sign the relevant self-accreditation declaration form (in the zip folder above) and return it to the GSMA.
NB. The GSMA may take up to one week to validate the test results and update the accreditations list on this webpage.

joyn Blackbird (based on joyn Blackbird Product Definition Document)

Applicants will be informed of changes in RCS specification and accreditation aspects on the GSMA website and by email. Nevertheless, applicants shall take the responsibility for revision of those changes and must ensure that their device/platform remains compliant.

For the self-accreditation process, you may require additional information, see below:

Contact us if you need more information or support for the Accreditation process;

Obtaining a Global Certification Forum (GCF) certificate

As of 30 March 2017, manufacturers of RCS 5.1 v2/joyn Blackbird devices and clients must apply for Certification to the GCF.
Providers of RCS 5.1v2/joyn Blackbird devices or clients will be granted formal recognition of their implementation’s maturity and interoperability based on GCF certification, assuming that the certificate has been obtained after 30 March 2017 and that it includes mandatory tests for RCS certification.
In most cases, it is sufficient to provide a copy of the GCF certificate to the GSMA in order for the formal recognition to be granted. However, there are certain circumstances where additional conditions apply:

1: If the devise or client has not previously been accredited an RCS client/device

OR

2: If the client/device has undergone a major update of Operating System (being defined as change of name or first digit in version number of the OS) since accreditation.

In the case where either of the above applies, it is also necessary to provide:

Please note that these traces and the UX matrix are for GSMA information only and no further action will be required.

Contact GCF if you need more information or support for the certification process.