The new type approval guidelines of the BOCRA were available since March 28th, 2016 and we-reintended to come into effectone year later,

right at the beginning of April 2017. This information was given by our sources at the regulatory authority. Before the confirmation of the effective imple-mentation of these guidelines, we have decided to present a study of what changes in this newtext.First, equipment types submitted for approval do not change. These are all telecommunications and radio pieces of equipment. However, this time, the gui-deline specifically mentions broadcast transmission equipment and DTT & Satellite receiver equipment.Then, the validity period of certificates has also been-significantly extended. The initial one-yearvalidity pe-riod has now become unlimited. Section 7 states that «Registration will normally be granted for the lifetime of the specific version of the equipment. Variations or upgrades of equipment must be specifically type ap-proved where such upgrades impact equipment safety, EMC, spectrum use, and standards BOCRA reserves the right to cancel a registration at any time where it has reason to believe that the relevant regulations and technical requirements have not been observed. » Another provision concerns the authorisation to use e-labelling for some equipment. According to section 14 about Marking « E-labelling is also per-mitted, where the equipment in question has an

integral screen, in which case the marking may be shown on the screen (for example at swit-ch-on, or accessed via a simple menu function) ». The equipment must be marked as shown below:

BOCRAREGISTERED N° : nnnnnnnnnnnn

According to the guidelines, this mark should be durable and the text no less than 2mm in height. An new logical provision coming from the exten-sion of the validity period concerns the type ap-proval fees that are considerably increased. The fees have increased by three and five times depen-ding on the equipment type. This increase concerns all the equipment including Earth Station, Short range devices and wireless terminals. The last section of the guideline answers questions that readers are quite en-titled to ask: what about certificates issued under the former guidelines? “All previous type approval arran-gements cease summarily when this scheme comesinto effect. Terminal equipment and radio equipment being imported into Botswana and/or supplied under previous type approval schemes at the time this sche-me comes into effect may continue to be imported and supplied for the duration specified in the origi-nal approval. However, holders of such approvals are encouraged to migrate to the new scheme and there will be no charge for registration or renewal under the new scheme until the expiry date of the original approval. Equipment being imported into Botswana and/or supplied under previous type approval sche-mes at the time this scheme comes into effect must be registered under this scheme if import and/or sup-ply is to continue beyond the expiry of the existing approval. » Following this situation, our teams are as usual available to answer your questions and address your concerns.

Staff Writer

Archive : Photo legal acts*******************************************

News from the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Au-thority (RURA) revealed that the regulator has taken steps meant for international type ap-

proval applicants. In fact, foreign companies which used to submit their type approval application to the RURA will not be able to do it again. However, this de-cision with immediate effect does not include interna-tional applicants who have delivery commitments to the local market (Rwanda) for supplies requiring type approval. These applicants shall provide evidence to the authority on their effective commitments.

This measure is very advantageous for local compa-nies and is in line with the dynamics initiated by the regulator. As a matter of fact, since last year, type approval activities have regularly been subject of innovations. First were introduced online applica-tions that replaced physical submission of applica-tions. This system is now up and running. Then some restrictions targeted the type approval of modules. According to the latest news, the regulator does not intend to stop all these innovations. Other measures will soon be announced and this provision about international applicants supports these initiatives.

Apart from the specific case of Rwanda, there are indications that more and more countries will take the same steps. The RURA has not explained the reasons for this decision yet. Nevertheless, we can guess that the decision has been made in order to monitor applicants and their activities while protecting local companies that will increasingly be committed to the State and to the people. In this context, our local firm in Rwanda is ready to meet your various concerns in order to provide all the assistance you deserve rwanda@consultit-now.com

Staff writer

Archive : RURA logo*******************************************

The development of ICTs has brought about new challenges and no sector of the society can escape this situation. A clear evidence of this

fact has been given in Senegal where judicial officers from west Africa have been trained to fight against cybercrime. This is part of a project from the Interna-tional convention on cybercrime in Budapest that aims at informing lawyers about this new type of offences. Digital identity theft, fraud, online scam, hacking into computer system are the various issues affecting the African continent. These issues have become more acute with people’s widespread use of ICTs. Telecom operators are also impacted by these scourges. This kind of initiative is very important because several west African countries are faced with a legal vacuum concerning cybercrime. Even in the few countries with a law on cybercrime, judicial officers’ knowledge is still embryonic in this domain.

Yet, the pivotal role of cybersecurity in promoting ICT is obvious. Adequate measures in terms of pre-vention, control and repression must be taken in order to dissuade malicious people from indulging in cybercriminal activities. We can then expect in times to come new regulations in west African countries. These are players intervening in various markets who will take advantage of the reliability and sustainability that are vital to the development of their activities.

Staff Writer

Archive : County court bailiff****************************************************************************************

After Namibia last year, the 6thAnnual General Mee-ting of the Communica-

tions Regulators Association of Southern Africa (CRASA) has just ended in Durban, South Afri-ca. As we remain on the lookout for ICT news in Africa, our teams wanted to share with you the unfolding of this regional meeting.CRASA is a regional organisation that focuses on harmonisation of Information and Communica-tions Technologies (ICT), inclu-ding the broadcasting and postal sectors, regulatory environment in the Southern African Develop-ment Communities (SADC) re-gion to ensure universal access and services to the citizens of the region and to improve the envi-ronment for investment in SADC.Delegates from 12 countries of the SADC zone joined their South African counterparts. These are Angola, Botswana, DRC, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique,

Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe These delegates partici-pated to workshops and trai-nings on the themes below:• The Evolutionary Path to

5G and Internet of Things (IoT) Symposium Workshop

This workshop aimed at explaining revolutions and trends in the mo-bile industry, the 5G evolution and standardization. The workshop also addressed the standardiza-tion of the Internet of Things (IoT), safety mechanisms, private life, threats and issues concerning trust.• Postal Markets Regulation

and the Universal Service Obligation (USO) in the Evol-ving Postal Sector Workshop

The objective of this workshop was to equip participants with a solid theoretical base and prac-tical skills in the development of the postal sector policy and its link with the regulation of multi-operator postal markets.

• SADC Training on Cost Model-ling of International Roaming Services.

This training aimed at providing delegates with a full understan-ding of principles, approaches and requirements about the modeling of the costs of international roa-ming services on mobile phone networks. The objective was also to review the existing cost models for roaming services adopted in other regions such as the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) International Mobile Cost Analysis tool, the European Union (EU) Mo-del, among others and to provide guidance to the region in its mi-gration to a cost-based and com-petitive regulatory IMR regime. The meeting ended with the elec-tion of ICASA (the South African regulator) at the head of the or-ganisation. This election was wel-comed by ICASA’s leadership who promised to work more for their common organisation’s outreach.The regulators’ pooling of efforts and knowledge is timely as it helps them take up challenges specific to their geographical areas. Re-solvingusers’ concerns and taking telecom players’ particular expec-tations into account are at stake. These players, mainly equipment manufacturers, service providers and consultants will then be able to take advantage of an updated regulation, a guarantee for a com-petitive and sustainable market.

Staff Writer

Archive : CRASA Meeting***********************************************************

Archive : Presentation of the 2015 version of ISO-9001 by ARCEP*******************************************

It is common knowledge that the Benin tele-communications regulatory authority (ARCEP) is very active. The ARCEP is more than ever in the

spotlight after the authority has been granted the ISO 9001 version 2015 certification. This is the outcome of the most recent surveillance audit of the quality management system of the ARCEP.As a reminder, IS0 9001 is a standard that sets requirements relating to quality management system. This standard is based on 7 principles:1. Customer focus2. Leadership3. Employee involvement4. Process approach5. Improvement6. Evidence-based decision-making7. Management of relationships with stakeholders

The ARCEP received the ISO 9001 version 2008 certification on May 13th 2015. The audit firm has then maintained the 2008 version and

ordered the upgrade to the 2015 version. The Exe-cutive Secretary of the ARCEP, Mr. Hervé GUEDEG-BE believes that the award of this certification is an acknowledgement of the quality management of the regulatory authority and of its relentless effort to improve its governance. The authority is then committed to implement effectively recom-mendations made by the Auditor. For the AR-CEP, the objective is to do more for meeting the expectations of consumers of electronic communications services and products and the PostThis situation will partly result in the availability of Very High Frequencies and appropriate equipment because people require more and more innovating services that demand substantial efforts. All the stakeholders in Telecom will therefore be able to take initiatives. Equipment manufacturers will be able to supply connected objects. Service providers will work to produce innovating applica-tions and consultant will provide the necessary as-sistance. Consult-IT,through its local firm, is ready to address all your concerns. benin@consultit-now.com

Staff Writer