A process by which communications equipment or device or system is authorised by the Commission to be used in Eswatini or imported into Eswatini and involves verification of the equipment, device or system’s compliance with the applicable standards and other regulatory requirements.

Type Approval Objectives

1. To protect public telecommunications networks from damage from customer-owned terminal equipment connected to it, and vice versa.
2. To ensure coherent communications over the public telecommunications networks.
3. To ensure safety of public from dangerous equipment.
4. To promote the efficient utilisation of the radio frequency spectrum.
5. To protect the general public as well as network operators from poor quality terminal equipment which do not meet public telecommunications network interface requirements.
6. To protect the general public by ensuring that telecommunications equipment vendors are able to offer adequate technical support and after sales maintenance backup.
7. To ensure safety of telecommunication operator’s line plant staff from high voltages that may be fed on line by substandard equipment arising from inadequate isolation.

Who Should Seek Type Approval

1. Local and International Manufacturers of equipment proposing to sell their equipment in Eswatini.
2. Registered/Licensed vendors of equipment proposing to sell equipment on behalf of their principals.
3. Individual users or organizations who procure non-type approved equipment for their own use (i.e. not for marketing/commercial purposes).
4. Licensed Network operators and service providers.

Equipment Subject to Type approval

1. All Communications equipment (radio equipment, telecommunications terminal equipment or broadcasting terminal equipment and apparatus) prior to importation and use is subject to type approval or type acceptance by the Eswatini Communications Commission, unless explicitly exempted by the Commission.

Examples of the said terminal equipment include but are not limited to:

1. Telephones (ordinary, executive, secretarial sets).
2. Cordless telephones
3. Telephone answering and recording systems
4. Cellular telephones (GSM, ETACS etc.)
5. Payphones (coin and card operated)
6. Call monitoring and logging systems
7. Subscriber private meters (SPMs), Facsimile transceivers
8. Call routing apparatus, Public Branch Exchanges (PBXs)
9. Key Telephone System (KTS)
10. Small Business System (SBS)
11. Multi line systems
12. Voice messaging systems,Data modems and fax modems
13. Multiplexers, packet assembler’s disassemblers (PADs)
14. Radio communication equipment
15. Citizen band,Amateur band
16. HF,VHF,UHF
17. Microwave
18. Radio paging terminals and transmitters
19. Alarm transmitters
20. Satellite
21. Telemetry and command modules etc.