TYPE APPROVAL FAQ

The applicant may request an application for the renewal of the Type Approval certificate for telecommunications equipment one month before the expiry date or within 15 days of expiry.

The applicant for telecommunications equipment approval shall be obligated to make an upfront non-refundable payment for the processing of the application, regardless of the final status of the application for approval or refusal.

USD 350 for All applicant

If any of the information mentioned in the registration certificate needs to be changed, the applicant shall make an advanced non-refundable payment for modifying the registration certificate, irrespective of the outcome of the application towards approval or rejection.

The following list of NRAs are recognized by NCA and Type Approval Certificates granted by these NRAs can be used as Certificate of Compliance. The list of the recognized NRAs will be regularly updated and published on NCA website. ⦁ All NRAs from EU Member states. ⦁ Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), UAE.

In the event that a RTTE equipment does not comply with the requirements of the Type Approval Guideline, the telecommunications equipment manufacturer or importer shall take corrective measures to eliminate the causes of non-compliance within a timeframe determined by NCA, and shall announce the problem and corrective measures taken in the rectification.

Some wireless telecommunications equipment require authorization from NCA to use frequency spectrum in Somalia. This authorization shall be independent of the Type Approval Guideline. Authorization requirements may change from time to time, and applicants are advised to consult the Spectrum Management Department. The operation of the relevant wireless telecommunications equipment without authorization shall be considered a violation of the Communications Law.

Support technical documents are the proof that describe details of the telecommunications equipment, based on which, the conformity of a telecommunications equipment with the requirements and technical standards approved in Somalia shall be declared. Support documentation should be prepared in English.

It is forbidden to produce, use, give, sell, supply or use prohibited RTTE equipment in Somalia; Such equipments: ⦁ GSM Jammers ⦁ GSM Boosters ⦁ Scanning receivers ⦁ Military Communication equipment All equipment, which are not complied with Somalia, approved telecom technical standards.

Natural or legal persons, who import, assemble or manufacture telecommunications equipment for non-commercial or personal use are exempted from telecommunication equipment Type Approval procedures. Government entities and public network operators shall be exempted from telecommunications equipment approval process. However, they shall not be exempted from such procedure if they launch and offer the equipment on the market.

RTTE equipment for personal use or temporarily entered shall be exempted from Type Approval requirements. In addition, RTTE equipment transferred for the purpose of examination, certification or approval or pre-production units, which are considered in the manufacturing stage, shall be exempted. The exemption shall also extend to RTTE equipment offered or operated under restricted conditions in trade exhibitions. Imported RTTE equipment for commercial purposes or personal use shall not be exempted from compliance with mandatory technical standards in order to achieve the main objectives of the Type Approval guideline. A user of RTTE equipment exempted as per the Type Approval Guideline shall not be exempted from obtaining additional licenses required for the use and compliance with the additional requirements. Exemption from RTTE equipment Type Approval shall not be considered an exemption from other licenses. NCA may issue an exception to the implementation of Type Approval requirements for specific types of RTTE equipment by a separate decision.

The manufacturer or importer of RTTE equipment must complete the request for RTTE equipment final approval within 30 days of the initial approval.

The initial approval of RTTE equipment shall not be binding to NCA or deemed as a final approval of RTTE equipment. The manufacturer shall not take any marketing or commercial procedures, and it shall adhere to finalizing the approval process by fulfilling the requirements.

The manufacturer or importer of RTTE equipment must notify NCA of any modifications, which would: ⦁ Affect equipment conformity with the essential requirements or technical standards; ⦁ Change equipment size and shape; ⦁ hange equipment model number or brand name. In the case of any modification to the registered equipment that may affect its conformity with the Type Approval guideline essential requirements or approved technical standards, the manufacturer or importer of RTTE equipment must submit a new Type Approval request.

The manufacturer or importer of telecommunications equipment may continue to sell slightly modified equipment without the need to notify NCA of the changes. Minor modifications must not affect essential requirements, technical standards, or the external look of the equipment.

Type Approval certificates shall be renewable for additional 3 years

Radio, EMC and safety test reports.

At each level, the documents and technical requirements for the Type Approval of RTTE equipment shall be specified. Accordingly, the manufacturer or importer of RTTE equipment shall provide the following documents when submitting a Type Approval request for telecommunications equipment: ⦁ General description of the equipment, including photographs or illustrations showing external features, marking, internal layout, basic technical characteristics, user information and installation instructions. ⦁ Copy of the Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity.

Each RTTE equipment type shall be assigned a compliance level in the Type Approval Regime, which includes three main levels defined by elements directly affecting the Type Approval guideline objectives. Most importantly, the classification of RTTE equipment risk level on the user and telecommunications networks, the core purpose for which the equipment is designed, and its technical capabilities.

In the event that telecommunications equipment does not conform to health and safety standards and pose a risk to the safety of users, NCA shall require the manufacturer or importer of relevant RTTE equipment to take every corrective measure so that the RTTE equipment complies with these requirements within a time limit set by NCA. If sufficient corrective measures are not taken within the given deadline, the relevant Type Approval certificate shall be cancelled effective immediately, and NCA may take the proper action and measures to prohibit or prevent the availability of relevant RTTE equipment in the Somalia market.

⦁ Obtaining a direct delegation of another manufacturer or importer of telecommunications equipment. ⦁ Obtaining a separate approval under his responsibility.

This approval shall be valid for 3 years, renewable for similar periods after obtaining NCA’s approval. NCA may change, modify, or cancel authorizations at any time and for reasons it deems necessary.

The manufacturer, importer or distributor must provide the required technical documentation and reports as well as test samples upon request. Samples shall be part of the request for Type Approval of RTTE equipment and considered reference samples for future action. NCA shall not be obligated to return RTTE equipment samples provided for testing.

The manufacturer, importer or distributor of RTTE equipment must obtain Type Approval for the RTTE equipment before being offered or sold in Somalia, according to the technical standards approved by NCA and the Type Approval requirements ⦁ Equipment that Require Type Approval Any Telecommunications apparatus that is either radio equipment or telecommunications terminal equipment, or both (such as a mobile phone handset) which connects directly to a Public Telecommunications Network and / or which is an intentional transmitter of radio waves is subject to type approval by the NCA. Such equipment is referred to collectively as Radio and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment (RTTE). Radio and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment that require Type Approval include (but are not limited to): ⦁ Terminal Equipment (Mobile handsets, Tablets, PDAs, Telephone sets, IP Phones, Mobile Dongles, etc) ⦁ Short Range Radio Devices (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC Readers, RFID, etc ⦁ Radio Transceivers (Broadcast Equipment, Satellite Equipment, Base Stations,etc.) ⦁ Network Equipment (BSCs, MSCs, PSTN Switches, Media gateways, Servers, Switches, Routers, Modems, PBX, tracking devices, etc.)