The National Telecommunications Commission (NATCOM) of Sierra Leone issued the final draft of electronic communications equipment (ECE) type approval regulations 2019.

The regulations are applicable to:

• licensed telecommunications operators who import ECE devices used in communications networks  
• trading companies or individuals who import ECE devices for sale and distribution purposes  
• any foreign parties such as manufacturers or agents to sell ECE devices in Sierra Leone

According to the regulations, any ECE should be either type approved or exempted from type approval by the NATCOM.

Please notice, once the device is type approved, the same model of the device does not require to be applied for the type approval procedure. All the registered models could be found in the Type Approval Register that will be kept by the NATCOM. Thus, if the model is indicated in the register, it can be imported by any eligible dealers without type approval procedure reapplication.

However, not all equipment will be allowed to sell or import on the territory of Sierra Leone. The list you can find below:

1. Radio Frequency Spectrum Scanning Receivers

2. Military Communication Equipment

3. Telephone Voice Changing Equipment

4. Automatic Call Diverters

5. Radio-communication Equipment operating in GSM frequency bands except Cellular Mobile Phones or such other equipment approved by the Commission (e.g., SIM Box Detectors)

6. Radio-communication Jamming Devices operating in any frequency band

7. Analogue TV Transmitters (starting from 2021)

8. TV sets with Analogue Tuners only (starting from 2021)

There are two ways to get the type approval certificate, through:  

• Type Acceptance procedure  
• Type Approval procedure

In the first case, previous regulatory approval is required. It means that the equipment should already have suitable evidence from either a National Regulatory Body or Conformity Assessment Body that is recognised by the NATCOM and should comply with the relevant standards.

The NATCOM recognizes only standards of the following standardization/type approval  bodies:

• Sierra Leone Standards Bureau (SLSB)  
• Federal Communications Commission (FCC)  
• International Organization for Standardization (ISO)  
• European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI)  
• Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (IEEE)  
• Telecommunications Industry Associations (TIA)  
• American National Standards Institute (ANSI)  
• Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)  
• Industry Canada (IC)  
• Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore

The full text of the regulations is available here.

The information has been prepared by the GMA Consult Group team. GMA Consult Group provides a full cycle of international type approval and global market access services for IT, Telecom and industrial electrical products in all countries throughout the world. With proven expertise in worldwide regulations, compliance, certification, and conformity assessment, GMA Consult Group can help your company speed up the access to any market with almost zero efforts from your side. Need your own guide to the world of certification and approvals? Don't hesitate to contact us via info@gma.trade.

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