Brazil ANATEL Certification Identification Consultation

Brazil: ANATEL Opens Public Consultation No. 26 on Certification Identification for Cell Phones, Lithium Batteries and Chargers

Brazil's National Telecommunications Agency (Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações, ANATEL) has opened a public consultation on how the certification (homologation) of mobile devices is identified and authenticated in the Brazilian market. Published in the Diário Oficial da União on 17 June 2026 and opened for contributions on the Participa Anatel platform on 18 June 2026, Public Consultation No. 26 runs for 70 days and closes on 26 August 2026.

It is important to be clear about status: this is a draft operational procedure (minuta de Ato) under public consultation, not an enacted rule. It sets out the principles and guidelines for a modernized homologation identification model. The detailed technical requirements security mechanisms, graphic standards and digital-governance procedures are expressly deferred to a later complementary Act, and the draft itself would only produce practical effects once that subsequent Act is issued. Manufacturers should treat this as an early stage signal of direction rather than a set of obligations to implement today.

Inside the Proposed ANATEL Certification Identification Model

At the core of the proposal is a shift from the traditional printed ANATEL seal toward a hybrid physical-digital authentication model built around what the draft calls a Unitary Physical Digital Identity (Identidade Física Digital Unitária). Rather than a single informative marking, each homologated unit would carry an integrated, indivisible set of physical and digital elements designed to make counterfeiting materially harder and to allow authenticity to be checked per unit.

The model has three cumulative components:

• A physical security element: a tamper resistant marking applied to the product, manual or packaging, incorporating features that resist reproduction, adulteration or falsification, and that support both visual and instrumental (contingency) verification.

• A linked digital identifier: a QR code, token or equivalent mechanism individualized to each unit and logically bound to the physical security element.

• Mandatory integration with ANATEL's official database: a public "base of unique identifiers" enabling automated validation by inspectors, suppliers, marketplaces and consumers.

  
  

The draft is explicit that identification may no longer be merely informative or self-declaratory, and it applies principles of technology neutrality and regulatory efficiency meaning ANATEL intends to specify outcomes and minimum security requirements rather than mandate a single proprietary technology.

Scope Expansion: Phones Brought Into the Physical Marking Regime

A key change that a plain reading of the title can obscure: the proposal extends the physical homologation marking to the cell phones themselves. Today, the physical security-seal model applies principally to lithium batteries and chargers, while phones are generally identified by their homologation number. Bringing handsets into the same physical-plus-digital identification regime is one of the more consequential shifts for handset manufacturers and importers.

ANATEL frames the initiative as a response to a 2025 call for input, inspection findings and market data pointing to a high incidence of irregular and counterfeit devices. Industry participants in that process had supported measures such as QR codes, digital authentication, cryptographic signatures and additional traceability mechanisms.

Verification and Monitoring in Digital Sales Channels

The draft also reaches online commerce. Digital sales channels offering products subject to ANATEL homologation would be expected to implement conformity verification mechanisms, and product listings would need to surface a Digital Homologation Identifier tied to ANATEL's official database. ANATEL could monitor listings by automated means or through institutional cooperation, and the absence of a valid identifier could lead to a request to the channel to verify and, where warranted, suspend or remove the specific listing. For brands that sell through marketplaces in Brazil, this signals a future compliance touchpoint at the point of sale, not just at the point of homologation.

Governance and Access Controls

Issuance, management and validation of the Unitary Physical Digital Identity would sit within a structured digital-governance model. Access to generate these identities would be restricted to holders of a valid Certificate of Technical Conformity (Certificado de Conformidade Técnica, CCT) and could not be self-issued by suppliers. Public authenticity checks would occur only through an official ANATEL domain or an authorized public API. The detailed governance rules, seal-supplier accreditation and digital-identifier standardization would be established through the complementary Act, which the draft indicates will result from a Technical Cooperation Agreement with a qualified public entity.

What This Means for Manufacturers

For manufacturers and importers of cell phones, lithium batteries and chargers destined for Brazil, the practical takeaways at this stage are strategic rather than operational:

• Nothing is mandatory yet. This is a consultation on a draft. Even if adopted, the enabling Act would take effect only once the complementary Act sets out technical requirements, and a transition schedule would follow. Current homologation and seal obligations remain in force in the meantime.

• Handset makers face the biggest change. Extending physical marking to phones themselves would add a new identification and packaging consideration for products that today rely mainly on the homologation number.

• Per-unit traceability is the direction of travel. A hybrid physical digital model with unique per-unit identifiers implies changes to serialization, marking/printing, packaging artwork and supply chain data management areas that benefit from early planning even before technical specifics are fixed.

• Marketplace listings will carry compliance weight. Brands selling online should anticipate a future requirement to display a validated Digital Homologation Identifier on listings.

• This is a window to comment. Manufacturers, certification bodies and industry associations can file substantiated contributions until 26 August 2026 via the Participa Anatel platform a genuine opportunity to shape the technical model before it is fixed.

  
  

Certification Impact Summary

Dimension	Current position	What the draft proposes
Legal status	In force	Draft under public consultation (not enacted)
Instrument	Existing homologation/seal practice under Resolution No. 715/2019	New operational procedure establishing principles + guidelines
Products in scope	Physical seal mainly on lithium batteries and chargers; phones identified by homologation number	Hybrid physical-digital identification extended to include phones, batteries and chargers
Identification model	Traditional printed ANATEL seal / homologation number	Unitary Physical Digital Identity: security seal + unique per-unit digital identifier + database integration
Verification	Certificate/seal lookup	Multi-level physical and digital, automated validation via ANATEL's official base
Online sales	No dedicated listing-level mechanism specified	Digital Homologation Identifier on listings; ANATEL monitoring and takedown pathway
Access to issue identity	—	Restricted to valid CCT holders; no self-issuance
Technical requirements	N/A	Deferred to a later complementary Act (security, graphics, governance)
Effect	—	Enters into force on publication but produces effects only once the complementary Act is issued

Timeline and Required Actions

Date	Milestone	Suggested action
17 June 2026	Draft published in the Diário Oficial da União	Review the draft text and Informe No. 21/2026/ORCN/SOR
18 June 2026	Consultation opened on Participa Anatel (70-day period)	Assess exposure across your phone/battery/charger portfolio
Now – 26 Aug 2026	Public comment window	Prepare and file substantiated contributions via Participa Anatel; engage certification bodies and industry associations
26 August 2026	Comment deadline	Ensure any contribution is submitted before close
After consultation	ANATEL analysis of contributions	Monitor for the consolidated/adopted procedure
Future (TBD)	Complementary Act with technical requirements + transition schedule	Plan serialization, marking, packaging and marketplace-listing readiness once specifications and dates are confirmed