NCC Approves 70 New Phones for Use in Nigeria

The number of phones supported by the Nigerian Communications Commission for sale and use in Nigeria has hit about 1,891 as of January 2023.

The Commission added 70 new phones for January 2023, bringing the total number of mobile telephones approved in Nigeria close to two thousand.

Chinese Mobile phones dominate the list The devices range from different models and brands and are tested by the telecoms regulator and found to have met the standards set by the Commission.

Per a statement by NCC, the list of approved phones is dominated by Chinese Manufacturers, led by Tecno, with over 300 models in the Nigerian mobile phone market.

NCC Chairman Umar Danbatta warned Nigerians only to buy phones approved and certified by the Commission.

He 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.”

Reports say that with 222 million mobile subscriptions in Nigeria as of December 2022, according to a report, Nigeria remains a viable market for mobile devices in Africa and worldwide, leading to the influx of mobile makers into the Nigerian mobile phone market.

The Nigerian Communications Act of 2003 empowers the NCC to establish and enforce standards for all telecommunications equipment operations in Nigeria and ensure their seamless process. Despite the presence of NCC, the Nigerian mobile market has witnessed an influx of unapproved phones into the country.