NCC Prepares To Phase Out Physical SIM Cards

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has granted approval for 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.

Prof. Umar Umar Danbatta, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, has said the e-SIMs is a technology that will eliminate the need for physical SIM card slots on mobile devices in the near future.

He said that the trial was in line with the Commission’s forward-looking regulatory approach to ensure Nigeria’s telecoms ecosystem is in tandem with global best practices

According Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, director of public affairs at NCC, 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.

Adinde said in a statement on Monday that 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) experience by users of e-SIMs.

Quoting Danbatta, Adinde said, “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.

“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.”

Adinde said said, the information on the e-SIM is rewritable by operators and the identification information can be updated over time.