The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Monday announced it has given its nod of approval to two mobile network operators (MNOs), MTN Nigeria and 9Mobile, to carry out a trial on the workability of embedded Subscriber Identification Modules (e-SIM) Service in Nigeria.
NCC also noted that the trial will span one year involving testing 5,000 e-SIMs by the two networks.
The Public Affairs Director of NCC, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde in a statement said that the trial is subject to compliance with some regulatory conditions.
Dr. Adinde announced that the conditions include full compliance by the MNOs with the Registration of Telecoms Subscribers Regulations 2011; the Mobile Number Portability Regulations and Business Rules 2015.
He added that guidelines on SIM Replacement 2017; and non-degradation of the Quality of Service (QoS) experienced by users of e-SIMs are part of the conditions.
The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, was quoted as saying that 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 Danbatta, the e-SIMs is a technology that will eliminate the need for physical SIM card slots on mobile devices soon, 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.
While explaining the process, Dr. Adinde said that an e-SIM is a small chip that is embedded on a mobile phone or smart device. “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, he said.
“The information on the e-SIM is rewritable by operators and the identification information can be updated over time,” Dr. Adinde added.
