NCC grants approval for sale of 2,155 phones in Nigeria

• Prof Umar Danbatta, NCC’s Executive Vice Chairman, voiced concern about counterfeit handsets’ proliferation in the country
• He emphasized the potential negative consequences for both sellers and buyers of unapproved phones and telecommunications devices
• The NCC’s approval ensures consumers’ access to reliable and quality phones while combatting counterfeit products in the market
  

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As of July 2023, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has granted approval for the sale of 2,155 mobile phones within the country, with phones manufactured in China exerting a dominant presence in the market.

While an assortment of brands hailing from various nations such as Finland, France, the United States, India, Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, South Korea, South Africa, and the UAE are present, Chinese manufacturers continue to inundate the Nigerian market with an extensive array of over 300 models.

Prominent among these phone brands are Tecno Mobile, Nokia, Wiko, Samsung, Panasonic, Huawei, Asus, Apple, HP, Google, Gionee, Alcatel, and Oppo, among others.

These approved devices, encompassing diverse brands and models, have undergone rigorous testing by the telecoms regulator, ensuring their conformity with the requisite type approval standards necessary for sale to Nigerian consumers.

In a press statement Prof Umar Danbatta, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, expressed concern over the proliferation of counterfeit handsets in the country, emphasizing the potential adverse repercussions for both sellers and purchasers of phones and telecommunications devices lacking NCC approval.

Danbatta said “The menace of counterfeit and substandard handsets has assumed a global dimension and requires a lot of education on the part of the consumers and collaboration with other government agencies to address it.”

“Cases of influx and patronage of counterfeit handsets are more rampant in developing countries, such as Nigeria, where importers bring in substandard phones without recourse to the regulatory type-approval process aimed at certifying such devices as fit for the market.”