10th anniversary of APEC Telecoms MRA

 

Taipei, Chinese Taipei, 12 May 2010 - APEC celebrates the 10th anniversary of its Mutual Recognition Agreement on Conformity Assessment of Telecommunications Equipment (MRA).

Under the MRA, conformity assessments carried out by accredited bodies in participating economies are mutually accepted . The results of any equipment certification or testing are therefore valid, regardless of where in APEC the testing was done and into which APEC economy the telecommunications equipment is being imported.

Effectively, the agreement increases export and import opportunities and exposes consumers to the greatest variety of technologies available.

Explains the APEC Telecommunications MRA Task Force Chair, Lawrence Kwan:

"Everybody wins. Manufacturers increase their export opportunities and save time getting their products on the market. Regulators can reallocate resources normally directed toward certification; and consumers throughout APEC economies have greater access to the same levels of technology, as soon as they are available and under the same market conditions."

For example, the MRA enables manufacturers to test and certify products just one time in order to assess their conformity with the requirements of multiple markets. This decreases time-to-market which, for companies producing time-sensitive technologies, can have a tremendous impact. Consumers, by extension, can purchase the latest technological equipment - faster and cheaper.

For more information about the MRA on Conformity Assessment of Telecommunications Equipment, to go: http://www.apec.org/groups/som-committee-on-economic/working-groups/telecommunications-and-information/apec-tel_mra.html