DECT Forum
DECT Forum is an international non-profit industry association, founded in 1997 in Bern, Switzerland, that promotes the DECT family of wireless standards alongside ETSI — including NR+ (the first non-cellular 5G technology), Classic DECT, DECT Evolution, and DECT ULE — for use across IoT, smart buildings, professional audio, and cordless telephony applications worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersBern, Switzerland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What DECT Forum does
DECT Forum is an international non-profit industry association founded in 1997 and headquartered in Bern, Switzerland. It operates alongside the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) to promote the development, certification, and global adoption of the DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications) family of wireless standards, which spans Classic DECT for cordless telephony, DECT Evolution for professional audio, DECT ULE (Ultra Low Energy) for smart home and battery-powered IoT, and NR+ (DECT-2020 NR) — the first ITU-R approved non-cellular 5G technology, standardised under the IMT-2020 framework in February 2022. The association's technical work centres on operating in a dedicated, licence-exempt 1.9 GHz spectrum that is reserved exclusively for DECT devices, with NR+ extending capability through OFDM-based mesh networking, self-healing/self-organising topologies, IPv6 support, and sub-1ms latency suitable for industrial automation and professional audio.
The organisation serves the broader DECT ecosystem by running certification programmes (DECT Security, CAT-iq, and the forthcoming DECT NR+ Certification for building automation), stewarding trademarks and brand assets (NR+, CAT-iq, HAN-FUN), hosting interest groups (NR+ Building Interest Group, Advanced Metering Interest Group, Academia Industry Roundtable), and convening events such as the annual DECT World conference, NR+ BIG events at Light + Building, and participation in The Things Conference. Its 20+ Full Members span semiconductor vendors (Nordic Semiconductor, Renesas, Wirepas, Last Mile Semiconductor), professional audio manufacturers (Sennheiser, Shure), smart buildings players (Legrand, Schneider Electric, Siemens Smart Infrastructure), and telephony vendors (Gigaset, VTech, Spectralink, RTX), with Associate and free Academic tiers broadening participation.
DECT Forum generates revenue through tiered annual membership dues (Full Members at 17,650 CHF, with a 65% discount available for smaller organisations; Associate Members at 3,000 CHF; Academic Members free), per-product certification testing fees via partnered test houses such as Nemko, and conference/event registration fees. It does not commercialise hardware or software directly; the unit of value delivered is standardisation, certification, and ecosystem coordination, with member companies handling downstream product distribution through their own commercial channels.
DECT Forum firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- DECT Forum
- Legal name
- DECT Forum
- Website
- https://dect.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- DECT Forum is an international non-profit industry association, founded in 1997 in Bern, Switzerland, that promotes the DECT family of wireless standards alongside ETSI — including NR+ (the first non-cellular 5G technology), Classic DECT, DECT Evolution, and DECT ULE — for use across IoT, smart buildings, professional audio, and cordless telephony applications worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
DECT Forum industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Wireless Standards Industry Association
- NAICS
- Business Associations (813910)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- International Standards Development & Standardization Bodies (BPADANAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Wireless/DECT Audio Intercom Systems (HSAHAIAB)
Keywords
Where DECT Forum is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bern
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
DECT Forum business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Full Membership Fees: Full Members pay an annual fee of 17,650 CHF for full access to all DECT Forum resources, voting rights at General Assembly, ability to hold Board seats, and participation in Working Groups. A discounted rate (65% off) is available for smaller organisations with fewer than 15 employees or less than €2 million turnover.
- Associate Membership Fees: Associate Members pay an annual fee of 3,000 CHF. They receive access to basic DECT Forum documents and can attend General Assembly meetings (non-voting) and Working Groups (subject to Board invitation) as a starting point for organisations planning commercial DECT solutions.
- Academic Membership: Free annual membership for academic and non-profit organisations. Provides access to selected DECT Forum documents, participation in one working group, and attendance at DECT Forum events. Supports non-commercial research, academic work, and technology trials.
- Product Certification Fees: Members submit products for testing by partnered test houses; upon passing tests and paying a certification fee, products are listed on the DECT Forum website. Certification covers DECT Security, CAT-iq, and the forthcoming DECT NR+ Certification programme targeting the Building Automation sector.
- Conference and Event Registration: Revenue generated from registration fees for flagship events such as DECT World 2026 (November 3–4, 2026, Munich, Germany) and other industry events. Events feature live demonstrations, presentations, award ceremonies, and exhibition opportunities.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Full Membership – Standard |
| Subscription | Annual | Full Membership – Small Company Discount (65% off) |
| Subscription | Annual | Associate Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Academic Membership |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels12 records
DECT Forum product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The DECT Forum is an international non-profit industry association founded in 1997 that promotes the development and global adoption of the DECT family of wireless standards (NR+, Classic DECT, DECT Evolution, DECT ULE) alongside ETSI. It delivers membership services, certification programmes (DECT NR+, DECT Security, CAT-iq), working groups and interest groups (NR+ BIG, AMIG, AIR), the annual DECT World conference, the DECT Awards programme, and the DECT Today industry magazine to member companies and the wider wireless ecosystem.
Product overview
DECT Forum is an international non-profit industry association founded in 1997 that promotes DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications) wireless standards in partnership with ETSI. The organization does not manufacture products but provides standardization, certification programs, and industry coordination. Its portfolio includes three certification programs (DECT NR+ Certification for building automation, DECT Security Certification for ETSI compliance, and CAT-iq Certification for residential interoperability), technology standards (NR+ as the 5G evolution of DECT, Classic DECT for telephony, DECT Evolution for professional audio, and DECT ULE for smart home/IoT), publications (DECT Today biannual magazine), events (annual DECT World conference), and award programs (DECT Awards). Interest groups focus on building automation, academia collaboration, and smart metering. Member companies (including Nordic Semiconductor, Wirepas, Legrand, Schneider Electric, Sennheiser, and others) develop products based on these standards.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- NR+ (New Radio Plus): NR+ is the marketing name for ETSI DECT-2020 NR, the world's first non-cellular 5G technology, approved by ITU-R as part of the IMT-2020 family. It serves as an IoT and professional audio connectivity standard under the DECT Forum's portfolio of technologies.
Products and services
- DECT NR+ Certification Certification programme for DECT NR+ technology ensuring interoperability across manufacturers for building automation and other IoT applications, initially targeting the building automation sector to ensure unified meshed network across certified products.
- DECT Security Certification
Quantifiable outcome
- NR+ achieves latency as low as 1ms between devices, enabling applications previously only possible with wired networking or proprietary solutions.
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use DECT Forum
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
DECT Forum technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
DECT Forum partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and supporting.
- ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute)coreThe DECT Forum works alongside ETSI to promote the development and adoption of the DECT family of standards. ETSI is a non-profit standards organisation recognised by the European Union that develops globally applicable ICT standards. ETSI Technical Committee DECT develops and maintains the DECT standards (EN 300 175 series and TS 103 636 series), while the DECT Forum promotes their adoption, drives certification, and facilitates industry collaboration. This is the primary standards development partnership underpinning all DECT Forum activities.
- Nordic SemiconductorcoreNordic Semiconductor is a Full Member of the DECT Forum and serves as a key technology partner for NR+ development. Nordic's nRF9161 and nRF9131 chipsets implement NR+ PHY-level technology, with Phase 1 SW release available since February 2024. Nordic contributes technical expertise to NR+ webinars, serves on the NR+ Building Interest Group (Marketing subgroup chair), and participated in the Light + Building interoperability demonstration.
- WirepascoreWirepas is a Full Member of the DECT Forum and the main contributor to and first implementor of the NR+ standard. Wirepas 5G Mesh implements ETSI DECT NR+ TS 103 636 series (MAC layer and Data Link Control layers). Wirepas provides the Wirepas Connectivity Suite for network operations and performance optimisation. Wirepas was a founding member of the NR+ Building Interest Group and contributed to the Light + Building interoperability demonstration. The company is also a Nordic Solution Partner.
- LegrandflagshipLegrand is a Full Member of the DECT Forum and founding member of the NR+ Building Interest Group, along with Schneider Electric and Siemens. Legrand co-demonstrated the world's first NR+ interoperability at Light + Building 2026 with Schneider Electric. Legrand uses NR+ for smart building infrastructure and contributed to the development of NR+ Building Interest Group subgroups (Marketing, Certification, Technical). Legrand reported sales of €9.5 billion in 2025 and is listed on Euronext Paris (CAC 40).
- Schneider ElectricflagshipSchneider Electric is a Full Member of the DECT Forum and co-founded the NR+ Building Interest Group alongside Legrand and Siemens. Schneider Electric co-demonstrated the world's first NR+ interoperability with Legrand at Light + Building 2026, showcasing multi-vendor NR+ device operation in the same network. Schneider Electric contributes to the Certification subgroup of the NR+ Building Interest Group and focuses on building automation and smart energy applications.
- Siemens Smart InfrastructureflagshipSiemens Smart Infrastructure (SI) is a Full Member of the DECT Forum and founding member of the NR+ Building Interest Group, alongside Legrand and Schneider Electric. Siemens contributes expertise in intelligent, adaptive infrastructure and is part of the broader NR+ ecosystem advancing smart building standards. Siemens Smart Infrastructure has approximately 78,500 employees worldwide and its global headquarters in Zug, Switzerland.
- Last Mile SemiconductorcoreLast Mile Semiconductor GmbH is a Full Member of the DECT Forum and part of the NR+ Building Interest Group ecosystem. Based in Dresden, Germany (Silicon Saxony), Last Mile Semiconductor is developing a dedicated NR+ System-on-Chip (SoC) for scalable and secure Smart Edge Connectivity. The company participates in NR+ Building Interest Group activities and was represented in the panel discussion at Unify 2026 (Connectivity Standards Alliance event).
- STRATUM 9coreSTRATUM 9 GmbH is a Full Member of the DECT Forum, a Nordic Solution Partner, and a member of the NR+ ecosystem. Based in Kufstein, Austria, STRATUM 9 launched the first industrial-grade DECT NR+ gateway for mobile real-time applications in manufacturing, intralogistics, robotics, and mechanical engineering. The company develops embedded systems, IoT solutions, and wireless industrial communication products based on DECT NR+.
- DSR CorporationsupportingDSR Corporation is a Full Member of the DECT Forum and a member of the NR+ Building Interest Group ecosystem. DSR is a professional software development firm headquartered in Denver, Colorado, with expertise in wireless technology, IoT systems, embedded software, cloud backends, and end-user applications since 1998. DSR contributed to the NR+ Building Interest Group's first F2F meeting and represents end-to-end IoT expertise within the NR+ ecosystem.
- Kudelski IoTsupportingKudelski IoT, the Internet of Things division of Kudelski Group (SIX: KUD), is an Associate Member of the DECT Forum and a member of the NR+ Building Interest Group ecosystem as an embedded security expert. Kudelski IoT provides end-to-end IoT solutions and full-lifecycle security technologies and services, contributing security expertise to the NR+ ecosystem for industrial and commercial deployments.
- ITU-R (International Telecommunication Union – Radiocommunication Sector)coreThe ITU-R approved DECT-2020 (NR+) as part of the IMT-2020 (5G) standards family in February 2022, recognising NR+ as the first non-cellular 5G technology globally. This approval was a major milestone driven by collaboration between the DECT Forum, ETSI TC DECT, and ITU-R Study Group 5. The ITU-R recognition establishes NR+ as a globally standardised 5G technology.
- European CommissioncoreThe European Commission's Implementing Decision 2025/2425 on the 3.8–4.2 GHz band (December 18, 2025) significantly strengthened the regulatory framework for NR+ in the European Union. This decision harmonises technical conditions for spectrum use relevant to NR+, creating a clear and predictable regulatory environment that supports broader adoption. The DECT Forum cooperates with the EC to advance NR+ deployment across Europe.
- Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA)supportingThe DECT Forum collaborates with the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA, formerly Zigbee Alliance) to explore how DECT NR+ can contribute to the broader CSA's open-standards conversation for IoT ecosystems. A panel discussion titled 'When the Smart Home Becomes a Smart Building, Connectivity Has to Scale' took place at Unify 2026 (CSA's flagship event) in Austin, Texas, with panellists from Last Mile Semiconductor, Wirepas, DSR Corporation, Nordic Semiconductor, and Legrand.
- NemkosupportingNemko is a Full Member of the DECT Forum and serves as a test house for DECT certification programmes. As a certification testing partner, Nemko conducts compliance testing for DECT products, informing the DECT Forum upon successful test completion for official product certification listing.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
DECT Forum competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute): ETSI is the standards body with which the DECT Forum directly collaborates to develop and maintain the DECT standards (EN 300 175 series and TS 103 636 series). Both are non-profit, member-funded ICT standards organizations operating in adjacent technology areas.
- Wi-Fi Alliance: Wi-Fi Alliance is the global standards/certification body for Wi-Fi. Comparable as a member-funded, certification-driven wireless consortium competing in the same unlicensed spectrum domain and enterprise/IoT connectivity segments as DECT.
- Bluetooth SIG: Bluetooth SIG is a member-driven standards and certification organization for Bluetooth wireless technology. It is comparable in operating model (membership dues + certification programs + events) and competes with DECT in audio, smart home, and IoT connectivity.
Direct peers
- Z-Wave Alliance: Z-Wave Alliance is a member consortium promoting Z-Wave interoperable low-power wireless technology for smart home and IoT. Comparable in business model (membership + certification) and target market (smart home, smart buildings, security).
- Wi-SUN Alliance: Wi-SUN Alliance promotes interoperable mesh networking for smart utility, smart city, and industrial IoT. Directly comparable to NR+ in smart metering and utility-owned mesh networks, with similar member-funded certification model.
- Thread Group: Thread Group develops the Thread low-power mesh networking protocol for IoT. Directly comparable in focus on low-power mesh for smart home and building automation, with similar member-funded certification model competing for the same IoT design wins.
- Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA / Matter): CSA (formerly Zigbee Alliance) develops Matter, Thread, and Zigbee standards for smart home and building IoT. It is the most direct competitive threat to NR+ in smart buildings and smart home, with comparable certification programs and a much larger member base (Apple, Google, Amazon, Samsung).
Emerging players
- ULE Alliance: ULE Alliance promotes DECT ULE (Ultra Low Energy) for smart home and IoT, the same underlying DECT technology family that the DECT Forum champions. Highly comparable technically and ecosystem-overlapping, though the ULE Alliance has a narrower smart-home focus.
Others
- Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA): WBA is an industry association focused on next-generation Wi-Fi and wireless broadband. Comparable as a non-profit member consortium driving standards adoption, certification, and industry events in wireless connectivity, overlapping with the DECT Forum's ecosystem coordination role.
- NFC Forum: NFC Forum is a non-profit industry association that develops specifications and certification for near-field communication. Comparable as a member-funded standards and certification body in the wireless connectivity space, though addressing a different short-range technology.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
DECT Forum social profiles
Digital presenceDECT Forum financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
DECT Forum leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
DECT Forum funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
DECT Forum M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about DECT Forum
What does DECT Forum do?
The DECT Forum is an international non-profit industry association founded in 1997 that promotes the development and global adoption of the DECT family of wireless standards (NR+, Classic DECT, DECT Evolution, DECT ULE) alongside ETSI. It delivers membership services, certification programmes (DECT NR+, DECT Security, CAT-iq), working groups and interest groups (NR+ BIG, AMIG, AIR), the annual DECT World conference, the DECT Awards programme, and the DECT Today industry magazine to member companies and the wider wireless ecosystem.
Is DECT Forum a public or private company?
DECT Forum is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was DECT Forum founded?
DECT Forum was founded in 1997. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is DECT Forum based?
DECT Forum is headquartered in Bern, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does DECT Forum make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Full Membership Fees are the primary driver. The others are associate Membership Fees, academic Membership, product Certification Fees and conference and Event Registration.
Who are DECT Forum's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute), Wi-Fi Alliance and Bluetooth SIG. Direct peers are Z-Wave Alliance, Wi-SUN Alliance, Thread Group and Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA / Matter). ULE Alliance is listed as an emerging player. Others are Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) and NFC Forum.
Does DECT Forum have an API?
No public API is recorded for DECT Forum.
What industry is DECT Forum in?
DECT Forum's product category is Wireless Standards Industry Association. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADANAA, International Standards Development & Standardization Bodies, with a secondary code of HSAHAIAB, Wireless/DECT Audio Intercom Systems. Its NAICS code is 813910 and its SIC code is 8600.