USB-B interface certification will be abolished in new version of CTIA IEEE 1725,
CTIA IEEE 1725,

▍What is CTIA CERTIFICATION?

CTIA, the abbreviation of Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association, is a non-profit civic organization established in 1984 for the purpose of guaranteeing benefit of operators, manufacturers and users. CTIA consists of all U.S. operators and manufacturers from mobile radio services, as well as from wireless data services and products. Supported by FCC (Federal Communications Commission) and Congress, CTIA performs a large part of duties and functions that were used to be conducted by the government. In 1991, CTIA created an unbiased, independent and centralized product evaluation and certification system for wireless industry. Under the system, all wireless products in consumer grade shall take compliance tests and those complying with the relevant standards will be granted to utilize CTIA marking and hit store shelves of North American communication market.

CATL (CTIA Authorized Testing Laboratory) represents labs accredited by CTIA for testing and review. Testing reports issued from CATL would be all approved by CTIA. While other testing reports and results from non-CATL will not be recognized or have no access to CTIA. CATL accredited by CTIA varies in industries and certifications. Only CATL which is qualified for battery compliance test and inspection has access to battery certification for compliance to  IEEE1725.

▍CTIA Battery Testing Standards

a) Certification Requirement for Battery system Compliance to IEEE1725— Applicable to Battery Systems with single cell or multiple cells connected in parallel;

b) Certification Requirement for Battery system Compliance to IEEE1625— Applicable to Battery Systems with multiple cells connected in parallel or in both parallel and series;

Warm tips: Select above certification standards properly for batteries used in mobile phones and computers. Do not misuse IEE1725 for batteries in mobile phones or IEEE1625 for batteries in computers.

▍Why MCM？

● Hard Technology: Since 2014, MCM has been attending battery pack conference held by CTIA in US annually, and is able to obtain latest update and understand new policy trends about CTIA in a more prompt, accurate and active way. 

●Qualification: MCM is CATL accredited by CTIA and is qualified to perform all processes related to certification including testing, factory audit and report uploading.

The Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA) has a certification scheme covering cells, batteries, adapters and hosts and other products used in wireless communication products (such as cell phones, laptops). Among them, CTIA certification for cells is particularly stringent. Besides the test of general safety performance, CTIA also focuses on the structural design of cells, the key procedures of the production process and its quality control. Although CTIA certification is not mandatory, major telecom operators in North America require their suppliers’ products to pass CTIA certification, therefore CTIA certificate can also be considered as an entry requirement for the North American communications market.CTIA’s certification standard has always referred to IEEE 1725 and IEEE 1625 published by IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). Previously, IEEE 1725 applied to batteries without a series structure; while IEEE 1625 applied to batteries with two or more series connections. As CTIA battery certificate program has been using IEEE 1725 as the reference standard, after the issuance of new version of IEEE 1725-2021 in 2021, CTIA has also formed a working group to initiate a program of updating CTIA certification scheme.The working group extensively solicited opinions from laboratories, battery manufacturers, cell phone manufacturers, host manufacturers, adapter manufacturers, etc. In May of this year, the first meeting for CRD (Certification Requirements Document) draft was held. During the period, a special adapter group was set up to discuss the USB interface and other issues separately. After more than half a year, the last seminar was held this month. It confirms that the new certification plan of CTIA IEEE 1725 (CRD) will be issued in December, with a transition period of six months. This means that CTIA certification must be performed using the new version of the CRD document after June 2023. We, MCM, as a member of CTIA’s Test Laboratory (CATL), and CTIA’s Battery Working Group, proposed revisions to the new test plan and participated throughout the CTIA IEEE1725-2021 CRD discussions. The following are the important revisions: