The Global Certification Forum and the Mobile Satellite Services Association signed a memorandum of understanding to formalize cooperation on promoting standards-based satellite communications technologies globally.
The deal centers on 3GPP non-terrestrial network standards, including direct-to-device services, NTN 5G NR, and NTN NB-IoT. GCF and MSSA said the work will focus on interoperability and certification for products connecting to non-terrestrial networks.
What the MoU covers
Under the MoU, the organizations will develop certification requirements and testing frameworks for 3GPP NTN technologies, including NTN 5G NR, NTN NB-IoT, and direct-to-device services.
The collaboration also covers products and services for personal communication, IoT, mission-critical, and automotive devices using non-terrestrial networks.
Testing, roaming, and multi-constellation support
The collaboration will support a scalable NTN certification model and promote interoperability and roaming between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks and across different NTN constellations.
It will also encourage validation and field testing in operational conditions using MSSA operators’ networks.
How GCF says the work fits its existing NTN program
GCF has been working with industry partners including 3GPP and GSMA to develop certification programs for devices supporting NTN access. Conformance testing for NTN NB-IoT in GEO satellite systems has been active in GCF certification since 2024, and GCF has ongoing work to expand certification to NGSO (LEO) constellations and include NTN 5G NR technology.
Lars Nielsen, GCF Director General, said GCF is proud to join forces with MSSA to drive market adoption of 3GPP standards-based NTN technologies and that MSSA’s expertise is crucial for building certification programs for non-terrestrial networks.
Read for NTN device and service certification teams
The MoU gives certification teams a clearer signal that NTN work is moving beyond generic cooperation and into requirements, testing frameworks, and field validation. It also ties certification planning to direct-to-device, NTN 5G NR, and NTN NB-IoT rather than treating NTN as one bucket.
Mark Dankberg, Chairman of MSSA, said the collaboration strengthens a critical foundation for the future of mobile connectivity and will help drive standards-based interoperable solutions and a more unified certification approach.