Success in Nigeria requires engaging a specific set of regulatory and commercial stakeholders. Your reference design must meet the requirements of each.

This is the step-by-step process for developing the reference design.

The core of your reference design is an “open” stack. In the AMI context, “open” does not mean “open source” software. It means vendor interoperability through open standards. Your reference design must be built on these components:

• Smart Meters (COTS): The endpoint devices.
  • COTS Principle: Sourced from any vendor (e.g., MOJEC, Landis+Gyr, Itron) whose meter is NEMSA-certified.
  • Open Principle: The meter must be fully compliant with the DLMS/COSEM (IEC 62056) standard. This is non-negotiable. It ensures any DLMS-compliant Head-End System can read the meter, regardless of the vendor.
• Communication Network (COTS): This has two parts.
  • Neighborhood Area Network (NAN): Connects meters to a data concentrator.
    • COTS Principle: Use off-the-shelf, standards-based communication modules. Common COTS options are Power Line Communication (PLC) (e.g., G3-PLC, PRIME) or RF Mesh (e.g., Wi-SUN).
  • Wide Area Network (WAN): Connects data concentrators to the central HES.
    • COTS Principle: Use standard public or private telecom infrastructure. The most common COTS solution in Nigeria is GPRS/3G/4G/LTE via COTS-enabled SIM cards in the concentrator.
• Data Concentrator Unit (DCU) (COTS):
  • COTS Principle: A ruggedized, off-the-shelf industrial gateway/computer.
  • Open Principle: The DCU must act as a DLMS/COSEM client to talk to the meters and a DLMS/COSEM server to talk to the HES. It aggregates data and manages the NAN.
• Head-End System (HES) (Software):
  • COTS Principle: This is typically commercial software (e.g., from vendors like Siemens, Oracle, or AMI specialists) that runs on standard COTS servers (e.g., Intel-based, running Linux/Windows).
  • Open Principle: The HES must be “meter agnostic.” It must use DLMS/COSEM to communicate with any certified COTS meter and DCU. It manages data collection, remote disconnect/connect, and tariff updates.
• Meter Data Management System (MDMS) (Software):
  • COTS Principle: Commercial software running on COTS servers.
  • Open Principle: The MDMS must have standard-based Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), often based on IEC 61968/61970 (Common Information Model), to integrate with other utility systems (billing, ERP, GIS). It receives validated data from the HES for storage, analysis, and billing.

This phase focuses on the physical hardware (meters, DCUs).

• Source COTS Hardware: Identify manufacturers of meters, DCUs, and communication modules that are DLMS-compliant.
• Achieve SONCAP (Imported Goods): For any hardware imported, you must go through the SON-accredited conformity assessment process in the country of origin to get a SONCAP certificate. This is required for customs clearance.
• Achieve NEMSA Certification (The Critical Test): Your hardware cannot be deployed without NEMSA certification. The process involves:
  • Type Test Certification: You submit samples of your new meter model to a National Meter Test Station (NMTS). NEMSA tests the meter's design, accuracy, and anti-tamper features against the Nigerian Metering Code and IEC standards. This is the main certification for your COTS hardware model.
  • Acceptance Test: When a DisCo or MAP receives a batch (e.g., 1,000 meters), NEMSA may test a random sample from that batch before they can be installed.
  • Routine Test: In some cases, every single unit may be tested for accuracy.

Playbook Action: Your reference design must specify COTS hardware that is already on NEMSA's list of “Type Test Certified” meters or budget for the time and cost of an 18-month Type Test process for any new hardware.

NERC audits the entire solution, not just the hardware. This “audit” is part of the MAP/DisCo procurement and approval process.

• The “Audit” Event: When a MAP or DisCo wants to deploy your reference design, they submit a technical and commercial proposal to NERC.
• NERC's Checklist: NERC will evaluate your design's documentation against:
  • The Nigerian Metering Code: Does your stack meet all technical specifications for AMI?
  • MAP Regulations: Does the solution enable the functions required by MAPs (e.g., remote reading, remote disconnection, load management, tariff updates)?
  • Interoperability: Is it truly open? You must prove DLMS/COSEM compliance for all relevant components. A DLMS User Association certification for your components is the strongest proof.
  • Data & Security: Has a cybersecurity audit been planned or completed? (See Step 4).
  • Scalability: Can the HES/MDMS architecture handle the number of meters (e.g., 100,000 or 1,000,000+)?

Playbook Action: The technical reference design document itself is the primary tool for passing this audit. It must be exceptionally detailed, with clear compliance matrices mapping your design features to NERC's regulations.

This is a system-level audit that runs parallel to the NERC approval. It is critical and often overlooked.

• Legal Framework:
  • Cybercrimes Act, 2015: Your system will be CNII. You must protect it from breaches.
  • Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR): Your MDMS will hold personal data (name, address, consumption). You must protect it.
• The Audit Process:
  • An independent auditor (or a regulator like NITDA) will audit your system.
  • The audit will be based on international standards: ISO 27001 (for the Information Security Management System) and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (for technical controls).
• Reference Design Requirements: Your design must include:
  • Technical Controls: End-to-end encryption, role-based access control, network firewalls, and system hardening.
  • Data Privacy: Proof of how customer data is anonymized, encrypted at rest, and protected from unauthorized access, per NDPR.
  • Incident Response Plan: A formal plan that details how you will detect and respond to a breach, including the mandatory step of reporting the incident to ngCERT.

Playbook Action: Your reference design must have a dedicated “Cybersecurity & Data Privacy” volume, detailing the controls and compliance with ISO 27001, NIST, and the NDPR.

Use these checklists as a guide for your reference design.