Works with Amazon Sidewalk qualification waiver policy

Amazon Sidewalk qualification uses tests or self-declaration to check that a design correctly implements the requirements to operate on a Amazon Sidewalk network. If your Amazon Sidewalk devices are used only for prototyping, they don’t have to be Amazon Sidewalk-qualified. Qualification is required before you can use your Amazon Sidewalk devices for manufacturing or bulk production.

If a design doesn’t pass qualification, and you believe that the design should be allowed to proceed to volume production, you can apply for a qualification waiver. If Amazon agrees that the design should have volume production devices on the Amazon Sidewalk network, then the qualification waiver will be granted to you for a specific period of time.

When a qualification waiver is in use, any design can use the waiver and its associated tests in place of any affected test case.

The following contains more information about the requirements and how to obtain a qualification waiver.

Topics

• Qualification waiver requirements
• Waiver contents
• Waiver format
• Waiver processing

Qualification waiver requirements

Qualification waivers may be granted by Amazon Sidewalk for several possible reasons, such as when:

• A test case has an error and is not correctly testing a Amazon Sidewalk requirement.
• An Amazon Sidewalk requirement has an error, and cannot be implemented.
• An Amazon Sidewalk requirement may not be applied correctly for all use cases.
• The test evaluates a method that’s different from the method that the design uses for meeting the requirements. In this case, the design meets the requirements but doesn’t pass the qualification test.
• A test cannot be performed because the test case equipment isn’t fully ready.

Amazon Sidewalk, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to amend the reasons for granting or denying a qualification waiver at any time.

Waiver contents

To apply for a qualification waiver, provide a document that contains information about why your design should be qualified and how it fails qualification. The document must contain:

1. Details of the product for which you are requesting a qualification waiver.
   • If the waiver is associated with a qualification submission, provide the qualification ID of the submission.
   • If the waiver is applied before qualification, provide details of your product and your contact details. The contact details must include your name, job title, company name and address, email address, and phone number information.

2. Tests or self-declaration checks that are failing qualification.

3. Reasons why your design must pass qualification and the corrections that are required to allow your design to pass. For example:
   • For test case errors, provide information about why the test doesn’t match the Amazon Sidewalk requirements, and what changes can be applied to correct the test.
   • For requirement errors, provide details of why the requirement isn’t correct, and what changes need to be applied to the requirement and its associated test cases.
   • For requirements that are applied incorrectly, provide details as to why the requirement shouldn’t be applied, and what changes are required to the requirements and its associated test cases.
   • For tests that use a method that’s different from the design for evaluating the requirements, describe why your design meets the requirements but fails the test, and suggest an alternative testing method that evaluates your design correctly.
   • For tests that can’t be performed, provide details as to why the test cannot be performed. If possible, provide alternative evidence that shows the product meets requirements.
4. Evidence that a test or self-declaration failure will pass if the suggested change is applied. While you can initially provide informal evidence, to obtain a waiver, you must provide test case evidence that’s supported by a Works with Amazon Sidewalk test facility.

Waiver format

The waiver request is submitted as a PDF document. A template can be downloaded here: Amazon Sidewalk qualification waiver template

Waiver processing

The following steps detail how qualification waivers are processed:

1. The waiver request is submitted to the qualification database by your test facility. The qualification team is automatically notified of the waiver.

2. The qualification team assembles a review panel with relevant expertise to process the waiver.

3. The qualification team reviews the waiver and continues processing, if approved. If the waiver is not approved, the decision is communicated to the reviewer and the status is set to Not granted.

4. The approved waiver grant is then communicated to the submitter. If the waiver is associated with a qualification, then it can be applied to that qualification.

5. An anonymous version of the waiver is then published on the qualification database. It will contain information about the test cases that failed qualification, any alternative test case procedures that are required, and the waiver validity duration. Any qualification can use the waiver for this duration.

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