Network Access License (NAL) for Telecommunication Equipment

1. 1. What is NAL Licensing?

For telecommunications products to be legally exported to China, they must have a “Network Access License” (NAL). NAL is a mandatory license for telecommunications equipment that is connected to the public telecommunications network. NAL licensing thus builds on the SRRC certificate. No NAL license is issued without an SRRC certification.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) in China is responsible for this form of approval. This Chinese authority is also responsible for the management and interconnection of public telecommunications networks in China.

The first three product categories requiring NAL were publicized in June 2001. In the meantime, there are around 25 product categories that include approximately 300 different kinds of telecommunication devices. The devices are further subdivided into two main groups: The basic and the high-end equipment.

Affected products need to obtain the NAL necessarily before being imported into China. Currently, there are in total 14 authorized laboratories in China that carry out NAL approval procedure. These laboratories are all accredited by the “Certification and Accreditation Administration” (CNCA) and specialized in testing a certain product group.

The NAL license can only be acquired in addition to the SRRC certification. Therefore, no NAL license is possible without an existing SRRC certificate. Products that use a mobile radio standard, i.e. 2G (only in rural areas in China), 3G, 4G or 5G, require an additional NAL license.

1. 2. Process NAL licensing

To obtain NAL approval, four major steps must be completed:

• Submission of the application documents
  The applicant must be a juristic person with a registered residence in China, which is of great importance to the foreign companies (as well as companies from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan). The company located in China is responsible for the complete import and export, the disposition as well as the after-sales service of the products.

• Product tests
  To pass NAL certification, a product needs to pass several tests. Apart from the NAL-License, certain telecommunication equipment also needs a CCC-certification. But before applying for CCC, the applicant needs to apply for the Network Access License. Some testing results of the NAL approval process is also relevant for CCC-Certification, so that these tests do not have to be undertaken twice.

• Factory inspection
  Due to the fact that the MIIT does not carry out factory inspections outside China, it is not applicable to foreign countries. Nevertheless, the company shall hold a valid ISO 9000 Certificate if an application for NAL is intended.

• License issue
  Only after the test has been passed or the Type Approval Certificate (CTA) has been issued, an application for NAL approval can be submitted. However, the application documents for NAL can be prepared at an early stage and the tests can also be started in parallel. This can mean a considerable time reduction in the process.

The tests for NAL can already be started parallel to the tests for the SRRC approval. However, the issuance of the license is only possible when the SRRC certificate is available.

If you are interested in NAL Certification for telecommunication equipment, please do not hesitate to contact us.

• We provide you with a non-binding check to see whether your products need a NAL Certification.
• We provide you with a non-binding, transparent, all-inclusive quotation stating the costs and time needed to get the NAL certification.
• We take over all communications with the Chinese test lab and certification authorities. In case that product tests and a factory inspection by MIIT are needed, we take over all the necessary steps.
• We pay all application fees and testing fees needed at the Chinese authorities.
• We will do everything to ensure you a smooth and quick NAL Certification process.

We would like to help even if there are questions regarding the NAL Certification in general. Send us an Email or call us at +49-69-2713769150. It would be a pleasure to support you.

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Other Product Certifications for China:

• SRRC Registration for telecommunication products in China
• China Manufacturing License (CML)
• CCIC China Pre Shipment Inspection
• SELO Registration for China
• GACC Food Registration for China