# Export devices: China to Latin America

Exporting a connected device from China to Latin America passes four gates: certification, network admission, band support and network sunsets. Certification is a market's permission to sell the radio; admission is an operator's permission to attach it. A device can pass the first and fail the second, or work on day one and stop when a network closes.

- Certification is per market and per tested variant; a module certificate usually does not cover the finished product.

- Network admission is separate from certification and belongs to the operator.

- Band support is a property of the module and the antenna, not of the bearer label.

- A sunset date can invalidate a device that passed certification and admission.

## Certification is not admission

Four gates stand between a device and a working line in a Latin American market. Certification approves the radio for sale. Admission lets the operator attach it to the network. Band support decides whether the radio can hear the network at all. The sunset date decides how long the network it depends on will exist. Each gate has a different owner and a different failure.
Teams usually plan the first gate and discover the other three after the device ships. A certified device can be refused by an operator that has not admitted the model. A device that works in one market can lack a band the next market uses. A device that works today can depend on a network with a closure date. Check the four together, before the factory builds the full batch.

### Four gates, in order

Certify, admit, check the bands, check the sunset. Passing one gate does not pass the next.

Alt: Four gates in sequence labeled certify, admit to network, bands and sunset.

The sequence starts with certification of the tested variant, then network admission by the operator, then band support in the destination, then the network sunset date. Certification and admission have different owners. Band support is fixed at design. The sunset is a clock the device cannot reset.

| Item | Value | Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| First state · 1 | Certify |  |
| First state · 2 | Admit to network |  |
| First state · 3 | Bands |  |
| First state · 4 | Sunset |  |

Source: Our explanation; regulator pages below (https://portal.crt.gob.mx/)

## Certification, per market and per variant

Mexico's telecom authority is the Comisión Reguladora de Telecomunicaciones (CRT, formerly IFT). Brazil's is Anatel, whose Resolution 715 of 2019 sets the conformity assessment and homologation process. Colombia's is the Comisión de Regulación de Comunicaciones (CRC). Each regime ties approval to the variant that was tested, and the antenna, enclosure, power supply and firmware can all change the emission profile. A certificate for the radio module alone usually does not cover the finished product.
A mark from another region is not a substitute for the local approval, although some test reports can be reused. The paperwork is part of the product: labels, manuals and importer details may need the local language, and the approval number may need to appear on the device or the packaging. Build the label artwork into the factory process before the first production run. Adding it later means rework, reboxing or a new shipment.

## Admission belongs to the operator

Certification is the market's permission to sell and use the radio. Admission is the operator's permission to attach the device to its network. Operators may require the module or device to be on an approved list, restrict IMEI ranges, require a specific APN or refuse a foreign profile. Some require the device to behave correctly on their network, including voice behavior, before they activate a line.
Ask the destination operator, through your connectivity provider, which admission steps apply. Do this before the factory builds the full batch, because an admission problem found after shipping is expensive to correct. The operator will want the IMEI range, the module model and often the TAC, not just the brand name. The connectivity provider will want the ICCID list or the eUICC identifiers, in the same format as the factory's production list.

## Bands decide whether the radio can hear the network

Band support is the most common technical surprise. A module built for one region may lack a band that a destination operator uses, or may support it only at a power level the local rules do not allow. Latin American operators use a mix of low-band and mid-band LTE, and the mix differs by country and by operator. Check the band list against each destination, and check the antenna design, not only the module datasheet.

### Band support is per variant, not per family

Example module: B28, B3 and B7 supported; B41 and n78 not. Confirm the variant you will ship in each market.

Alt: A band table listing B28, B3, B7, B41 and n78, with the first three marked as supported and the last two as not supported.

The example module covers the 700, 1800 and 2600 MHz bands and does not cover 2500 MHz or 3500 MHz. A destination operator may use any of those bands. The module family may offer several variants, so the datasheet for the exact variant matters more than the family name.

| Item | Value | Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| B28 | Yes | Network uses |
| B3 | Yes | Network uses |
| B7 | Yes | Network uses |
| B41 | No | Network uses |
| n78 | No | Network uses |

Source: 3GPP TS 36.101 and TS 38.101-1: E-UTRA and NR operating bands (https://www.3gpp.org/ftp/Specs/archive/38_series/38.101-1/)

### A sunset is a date on the device's life

The track shows the direction of network change, not a date for a specific market.

Alt: A timeline from 2G to 5G marking voice and SMS, refarmed spectrum, a VoLTE baseline and new devices.

The timeline runs from 2G voice and SMS through 3G spectrum refarming and a 4G VoLTE baseline to 5G devices. The direction is the same across markets; the dates are not. A device that depends on a retiring network has a fixed life, whatever its certification says.

| Item | Value | Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Network retirement · 2G | Voice and SMS only |  |
| Network retirement · 3G | Capacity refarmed |  |
| Network retirement · 4G | VoLTE baseline |  |
| Network retirement · 5G | New devices |  |

Source: 3GPP and GSMA generation definitions (https://www.gsma.com/solutions-and-impact/technologies/networks/)

## Roaming, local profiles and the identity plan

A device built in China can ship with a Chinese profile, a roaming profile or a local profile per market. A Chinese profile used abroad relies on roaming, and several markets restrict permanent roaming or require local registration after a period. Mexico's current line-registration guidelines apply to every SIM, physical or electronic, including eSIM. A data-only profile does not avoid the link to an identified holder. Confirm the current text with counsel.
Profile choice also decides logistics. A local profile means one stock unit per market and a local activation step. A roaming or multi-IMSI profile means one stock unit for several markets, with the selection handled on the SIM. An eUICC means the profile can arrive over the air after installation, which removes a specific SIM shipment but requires a bootstrap connection and a module that supports the right specification. The [eSIM explainer](/en/resources/learn/what-is-esim/) covers the hardware.

The checklist stays in the browser. Start with Mexico and a Cat-1 bis profile, then change the market.

[Open the tool](/en/tools/device-checklist/?src=learn-export-devices-cn-latam&scenario=export-bands&country=MX&profile=cat1bis)

### The shipping checklist

- [ ] Destination markets and exact device variants are named.
- [ ] The type-approval path and the local label are confirmed per market.
- [ ] The profile family is chosen: local, roaming, multi-IMSI or eUICC.
- [ ] Band support and operator admission are confirmed per destination.
- [ ] The admission answers are ready: IMEI range, module model, firmware version, APN.
- [ ] The sunset date for every network the device depends on is recorded.
- [ ] One device per market has been tested on the real network.

Keep the certificate, the label artwork and the test record with the shipment.

### Check what you learned

**A device is certified in Mexico but the operator will not activate it. Which gate failed?**

Admission. Certification lets the device be sold; the operator still decides whether to attach it to the network.

**A module supports B3 and B7 but the destination operator uses B28. What happens?**

The device cannot use that operator's low-band coverage. Band support is a hardware property, so the variant has to change or the destination has to change.

**Why does a sunset date matter after certification?**

Certification does not keep a network running. A device that depends on a retiring network has a fixed service life, whatever its approval says.

## FAQ

**Is this legal advice?**

No. Concepts and official sources only; specifics go through counsel.

**Does a mark from another region work in Latin America?**

No. Each market runs its own type-approval or homologation regime. Some test reports can be reused, but the certificate, the label and the local representative are usually separate.

**Can we keep the Chinese SIM in the device?**

Only while roaming rules allow it. Several markets restrict permanent roaming or require local registration. Plan a local profile for long-lived devices.

**Do data-only profiles avoid registration in Mexico?**

No. The current guidelines apply to every SIM, physical or electronic. A data-only profile does not avoid the link to an identified holder. Confirm the current text with counsel.

**What should the factory provide for the connectivity file?**

The certificate per market, the test report, the label artwork, the IMEI range or list, the module datasheet with band support and the firmware version. The connectivity provider needs the ICCID or eUICC list at activation.

## Sources

- [Mexico: Comisión Reguladora de Telecomunicaciones (CRT)](https://portal.crt.gob.mx/) — Accessed: 2026-10-19
- [Brazil: Anatel Resolution 715 of 23 October 2019, conformity assessment and homologation](https://informacoes.anatel.gov.br/legislacao/resolucoes/AAAA/1350-resolucao-715) — Accessed: 2026-10-19
- [Colombia: Comisión de Regulación de Comunicaciones (CRC)](https://www.crcom.gov.co/) — Accessed: 2026-10-19
- [Mexico DOF: CRT line-registration guidelines (every SIM, including eSIM)](https://dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle_popup.php?codigo=5775677) — Accessed: 2026-10-19
- [3GPP TS 36.101: E-UTRA operating bands](https://www.3gpp.org/ftp/Specs/archive/36_series/36.101/) — Accessed: 2026-10-19
- [3GPP TS 38.101-1: NR operating bands](https://www.3gpp.org/ftp/Specs/archive/38_series/38.101-1/) — Accessed: 2026-10-19

Updated: 2026-10-19