NIGERIA – The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has granted approval for MTN Nigeria and Emerging Markets Telecommunication Service (9mobile) to carry out trial to carry out a trial on the workability of embedded Subscriber Identification Modules (e-SIM) Service in Nigeria.
The trial, approved to run for a period of one year, will involve testing 5,000 e-SIMs by the two networks, subject to compliance with a number of regulatory conditions.
These conditions include full compliance by the MNOs with the Registration of Telecoms Subscribers Regulations 2011; the Mobile Number Portability Regulations and Business Rules 2015; Guidelines on SIM Replacement 2017; and non-degradation of the Quality of Service (QoS) experienced by users of e-SIMs.
According to Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, the primary objective of the e-SIM trial is to assess the technical performance of the e-SIM on telecoms service providers’ network towards eventual rollout, if satisfactory.
According to the EVC, the e-SIMs is a technology that will eliminate the need for physical SIM card slots on mobile devices in the near future.
An e-SIM is a small chip that is embedded on a mobile phone or smart devices. It is designed for convenience, flexibility and simplicity. The e-SIM makes it easier for subscribers to choose a pre-paid plan provider and switch between network operators.
The information on the e-SIM is rewritable by operators and the identification information can be updated over time.
According to the EVC, the e-SIMs is a technology that will eliminate the need for physical SIM card slots on mobile devices in the near future, adding that the trial is in line with the Commission’s forward-looking regulatory approach to ensure Nigeria’s telecoms ecosystem is in tandem with global best practices.
Recently, NCC revealed its approval for MTN Nigeria and Emerging Markets Telecommunication Service (9mobile) to carry out a trial of national roaming. The tests was to be conducted for a period of three months, from 1 August to 31 October 2020, in a few local governments, designated as the ‘National Roaming geographic area’, in Ondo State.
According to the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Umar Garba Danbatta, the primary objective of the national roaming trial is to encourage network resource sharing among operators.
He said this will lead to operational expenditure optimisation and capital expenditure efficiencies, thereby freeing up resources to expand mobile network coverage to unserved and underserved communities across the country, which will result in improved quality of service delivery to subscribers.
“The successful implementation of the trial will enable 9mobile subscribers to access MTN network service within the National Roaming trial geographical area without the need for an MTN SIM card,” Danbatta said.
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