Article 41, of the National Communications Law, gives the National Communications Authority (NCA) powers to issue licenses for the provision and operation of communications services inside the federal republic of Somalia. Based on That, NCA developed a Unified Licensing Framework which complies with National Communication Law.
The Unified Licensing Framework permits a licensee to offer simultaneously a range (multiple) of services using any technological infrastructure that is capable of delivering the desired services.
The new Licensing Framework ensures flexibility and efficiency of utilization of resources keeping in mind the technological developments, easy market entry, and level playing field, and fair competition.
Under the New Licensing Framework, the Following Licenses are issued:
Individual License
Communications Infrastructure Provider License (CIP)
The Unified Licensing Framework permits a licensee to offer simultaneously a range (multiple) of services using any technological infrastructure that is capable of delivering the desired services.
The new Licensing Framework ensures flexibility and efficiency of utilization of resources keeping in mind the technological developments, easy market entry, and level playing field, and fair competition.
Under the New Licensing Framework, the Following Licenses are issued:
Individual License
Communications Infrastructure Provider License (CIP)
- Those who own, operate, or provide any form of physical infrastructure are used primarily for carrying services, applications, and content. The infrastructure may include fixed links, communication transmitters, satellites, and satellites earth stations, submarine cable, fiber/copper cable, towers, and switches, base stations. The facilities are for their own use or for availing to other licensed operators on a commercial basis
- Provision of non-infrastructure-based services and applications to end-users using the infrastructure of other infrastructure providers. These services and applications may be based on speech, sound, data, text, and images and deliver functions to end-users. The services may include among other voice services, Internet Access, data services, mobile money services, MNVO services, IPTV, and Value-Added Services. These service application providers typically use leased facilities from Communications Infrastructure Providers to offer services.
- This license category allows operators to obtain a combined license for communications infrastructure, services, and applications in one license. It is essentially a license that gives a licensee a combined CIP and ASP license. This type of license eliminates the need for operators to go through multiple licensing procedures if they desire to provide multiple communications infrastructure and applications and services.