The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has approved 2,155 phones for sale in the country, as at July 2023, with made-in-China phones dominating the market.
Though there are brands from countries including Finland, France, America, India, Japan, Philippines, Taiwan, South Korea, South Africa and UAE, Chinese brands have continued to flood and dominate the Nigerian market with over 300 models.
Some of these phone brands include; Tecno Mobile, Nokia, Wiko, Samsung, Panasonic, Huawei, Asus, Apple, HP, Google, Gionee, Alcatel, Oppo among others.
The approved 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.
Meanwhile, the commission has warned traders and Nigerians about the negative consequences of selling and purchasing phones and telecommunications gadgets that are not approved by it.
In a press statement made available to LEADERSHIP, the executive vice chairman of NCC, Prof Umar Danbatta frowned at the proliferation of counterfeit handsets in the country,
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.”
