More phone devices enter Nigeria as type- approved handsets now 2,197

MORE mobile phones have entered Nigeria as the Nigerian C o m m u n i c a t i o n s Commission ( NCC) typedapproved handsets in the country hit 2,197.

The devices, which are of different brands and models, are those that have been tested by the telecoms regulator and found to meet the applicable type- approval standards required to allow them to be sold to consumers in Nigeria.

As of the last updates in 2023, there were 2,155 typeapproved phones which means about 42 new handsets have been approved by the NCC.

Going by this approval, the Chinese mobile manufacturers are still dominating the market in the country in terms of approved devices.

For instance, phone brands under Transsion Group comprising Tecno, Infinix and itel currently have the largest number of devices in the market. Market insight showed that the Chinese brands control almost 80 per cent of the mobile device market in Nigeria.

The NCC on several occasions has warned Nigerians not to buy any phone that has not been certified for the market by the regulator.

The NCC is empowered by the Nigerian Communications Act 2003 to establish and enforce standards for all telecommunications equipment in operation in Nigeria to ensure that they operate seamlessly and safely within the Nigerian telecommunications environment.

However, despite the regulatory efforts, thousands of unapproved phone brands are still being sold across the country, further deepening the gray market.

“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,” NCC noted.