New Telecom Equipment Regulations in Nigeria: Key Updates and Impacts

Nigeria is a West African country with coastline to the Atlantic Ocean and having borders to Cameroon, Chad and Benin.
With a population of more than 230 million, it is the most populous country in Africa, and the world's sixth-most populous country. Nigeria is a federal republic of 36 states. The capital is Abuja, while the largest city is Lagos.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has now introduced important amendments to its type approval regulations for telecom equipment. The objective of the changes is to streamline the approval procedures and to ensure that the equipment meets updated standards as well as added security.

Some of the key points of the updates are:

• A Device Management System (DMS) has been deployed to register and regulate all mobile phones accessing communication networks across the country. It shall improve control over mobile devices and to enhance security with respect to phone-related crime.
• Concerning approval timelines, applicants now have a strict 60-day period to submit any requested documents. Failure to comply within this time frame will result in the application being deemed abandoned, requiring resubmission. Sample as required submitted will no longer be returned. (NCC may, however, waive sample submission at its discretion).
• A new procedure is introduced for modifying the type approval certificate in certain cases, whereas before any change required a new application for approval.
• Concerning labelling, devices with digital displays and remote login capabilities can now opt for e-labeling, but the packaging must still contain labels, including QR codes, model numbers, and other vital details.
• Concerning cybersecurity, the updated regulation calls for cybersecurity, urging compliance with international standards such as ETSI EN 303 645 for consumer IoT products and IEC 62443 certification for industrial automation.

Also, NCC has recently announced plans to utilize the 6GHz spectrum to enhance internet speed and connectivity in the country. This frequency spectrum, which spans from 5.925 GHz to 7.125 GHz, is used for wireless communications, primarily for Wi-Fi 6E. A news article about this may be seen here. 
Nigeria thereby joins South Africa and Morocco as African countries deploying the 6 GHz spectrum. 

For further information or assistance with approval of telecom equipment for Nigeria and other African countries please contactGeremy.Bradshaw@nemko.com

(The article is based on the information provided by Geremy Bradshaw and edited by T.Sollie)