With the majority of operators having already adopted Long Term Evolution (LTE) or planning to do so, there is finally an opportunity to sell multimode cellular devices worldwide. To aid this process, the Global Certification Forum (GCF) and CDMA Certification Forum (CCF) will work together to create a single, unified certification process for mobile devices incorporating Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and Third Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2) wireless technologies. This process should generate a multitude of benefits across the mobile (and associated industries) landscape.
Current discussions focus on the technical alignment of the two schemes while identifying any governance implications for the two organizations. GCF is the independent certification scheme for mobile phones and wireless devices based on 3GPP standards, which include GSM/EDGE, UMTS/WCDMA/HSPA, LTE, and LTE-Advanced. CCF is the official authority for certifying CDMA2000 (3GPP2) devices. With either scheme, device manufacturers can demonstrate that their products achieve agreed-upon benchmarks for interoperability with mobile networks.
Global mobile trends triggered this collaboration. Handset manufacturers and other major industries (consumer electronics, transportation, and healthcare) now incorporate multiple wireless technologies within their latest products. In addition, many 3GPP and 3GPP2 operators worldwide are migrating to LTE. 3GPP and LTE have long been intertwined. Work on LTE began at 3GPP in 2004 while a completed 3GPP Release 8 specification debuted in March 2009.