What is Bluetooth® Qualification? 
If you want to release a Bluetooth product, you will need to go through Bluetooth qualification. Bluetooth SIG qualification is a process that demonstrates and declares that your end product satisfies the requirements of Bluetooth specifications and license agreements.
The process of Bluetooth qualification promotes interoperability of Bluetooth products as it requires members to confirm that their product complies with the specifications through documentation and testing.
If a business makes a Bluetooth product or uses any trademarks of Bluetooth – including the word itself – it has to complete the Bluetooth qualification process and become a Bluetooth SIG member.
Our testing capabilities for Bluetooth®
With our expertise and international network, iCertifi can consult on and test Bluetooth products for our clients. We provide Bluetooth SIG qualification services, testing and declaration support.
Why Bluetooth® qualification is necessary
Making Bluetooth products qualified reinforces the brand and promotes global interoperability. With Qualification, a manufacturer can ensure its product complies with the Bluetooth License Agreement (made up of the Bluetooth Trademark License Agreement and the Bluetooth Patent & Copyright License Agreement) and the specifications required for Bluetooth.
You must get qualifications for all your Bluetooth® products
It’s not possible to inherit a Bluetooth qualification from a product supplier. A manufacturer company must complete the process itself. It’s also only possible to qualify your products under the member company account – and only if you complete the qualification process.
What you need to do when reselling a product
If you are selling a product from another company and not representing it as yours, you need to make sure the company properly qualified the product. There is a Bluetooth Product Listing Database where you can verify the Bluetooth qualification of a product.
When can you take your products to market?
You must qualify your Bluetooth product before you start selling or distributing it. The details that you provide for every Bluetooth listing must match the product exactly, including its marketing materials and packaging markings.
If your Bluetooth® products aren’t qualified
If you don’t qualify your Bluetooth products, you will be subjected to Bluetooth SIG enforcement and your products could be impounded by customs.
How to complete the process for Bluetooth® Qualification
Every product that incorporates Bluetooth designs needs to go through the qualification process. A Bluetooth design incorporates specific configurations of software and hardware with Bluetooth specifications. Each design will be assigned a product type as per the Compliance Requirements definitions listed in the Bluetooth specifications.
If a company has more than one Bluetooth product using the same design, it’s possible to list these with the same qualification and pay just once.
The qualification process with or without testing
There are two different qualification processes, one with testing and one without.
Qualification without testing
Companies who have previously qualified a Bluetooth product without any changes to the design can get a qualification without testing. You can use this process if:
- You use another company’s Bluetooth Subsystems or End Products that have previously gone through the qualification process. This only applies if you haven’t made any additions or changes to the design of the Bluetooth.
- You buy a Bluetooth product that has been manufactured by another company and you are distributing the product with your company logo or name (‘white-labeling’)
- You are creating a combination that involves previously qualified Bluetooth Subsystems and End Products and you haven’t made any changes to the design.
Qualification with testing
This type of qualification applies if you are modifying a design that has previously qualified as a Bluetooth design or if you are creating a new design. You can use this process if:
- You have created a combination or new design that doesn’t involve a previously qualified Bluetooth Subsystem or End Product.
- You have altered a design that has previously qualified by changing its core functionality or configuration.
- You want to qualify a design that uses a Bluetooth Component product type that has been previously qualified.