Thailand NBTC Certification for ICT Products

Thailand is one of the strongest nations in Southeast Asia. Its status as the new industrialized country has boosted its GDP to US$505 billion (World Bank data 2018), which is the 8th largest economy in Asia, as well as the second-largest in Southeast Asia after Indonesia. To access the Thailand market, especially for ICT products, there’s a compliance instrument that manufacturers must comply with. This compliance instrument is called “NBTC certification”.

NBTC stands for “National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission”, a government-owned regulatory body in Thailand that’s responsible for setting up the regulation and policies regarding Information and Communication Technology. One notable event that has been handled by NBTC such as the restructuration of 3G, 4G, and 5G frequency bands as well as doing the frequency auction. Besides, NBTC also plays a role in licensing ICT products that will be sold or used in Thailand.

Securing NBTC certification can be difficult. Although it accepts foreign test reports based on international standards such as CE or FCC, there are situations where the NBTC mandates additional local testing, especially if the foreign reports don’t meet their specific requirements. With deep expertise, extensive experience, and global connections in the certification industry, Dimulti Indonesia is fully prepared to help you navigate the challenges of the certification process, remove any hurdles, and ensure you obtain the certificate by your target date.

Thailand NBTC Certification Process

The Thailand NBTC certification does not command local testing for product approval. As a result, certification can be obtained through a documentation-based handle, which includes assessing existing RF (Radio Frequency) and EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility) reports, and other relevant test reports such as safety, EMF, and SAR test reports.

The NBTC permits the acknowledgment of universally recognized guidelines, such as CE certification, to fulfill the essential necessities for approval. This streamlined handle gives adaptability for companies looking to enter the Singapore market without the requirement for extra local testing.

The Types of NBTC Certification

The certificate itself is divided into three types, according to the kind of the product and its usage. These types are:

• Class A or registration: For products that fall under this category, it must pass through a testing process in the testing lab designated by NBTC. Besides, applicants need to provide data requested by NBTC to obtain a login account and certificate.
• Class B (Approval Certification): This is similar to Class A Approval. However, in the approval process it can use foreign test reports such as CE or FCC. In this process, applicants also need to provide data requested by NBTC to obtain login information into an account and certificate.
• Supplier Declaration of Conformity (SDoC): This is applied to radio products with features such as Bluetooth, WIFI, RFID, and SRD. SDoC is usually not mandatory, so applicants apply for it voluntarily.

Lead time, and validity

• Lead time: Based on official lead time specified in the NBTC circular, which is 4-8 weeks after sample receipt.
• Validity: NBTC certificate no validity time. It means that the certificate will be valid forever unless the product gets any modifications / changes.

NBTC Label Requirements

Once the product obtains an NBTC certificate, a conformity mark must be applied. The rules of applying this conformity mark are:

1. Class A equipment

For class A equipment, here is the conformity mark format:

Where YYYYYY is registration number (6 digits), ZZ  is the year of registration (last 2 digits of the year), and XXXX is supplier code (4 digits)

2. Class B Equipment

For class B equipment, here is the conformity mark format:

Where YYYYYY is registration number (6 digits), ZZ  is the year of registration (last 2 digits of the year), and XXXX is supplier code (4 digits)

Both class A and class B labels must be affixed on the surface of the product, in the place that can be found easily and visible. Labels must be affixed using a method that is reliable and can not easily be removed. 

If the label can not be affixed to the product due to a certain reason, for example is because the product size is too small, it is allowed to affix the label on the packaging, or any material that comes with the product such as user manual or compliance sheet. 

3. SDoC product

For the case of SDoC, supplier is also mandatory to affix labels stating that the product has complied with certain Thai standards. The wording can follow the following format:

This statement must be affixed on the user manual, or any other supplementary documents that comes with the product such as specification sheet or compliance sheet of the product.

NBTC Product Scope

NBTC certification is not limited to telecommunication product only. But this certification is also mandatory to all products that have telecommunication features or radio frequency. Some examples of products that are mandatory to apply NBTC certification are: