Fake Phones, Modems, PoS Terminals: NCC Begins Checks to Block Networks Access

BY BONNY AMADI

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says it has begun electronically verifying the type approval status of SIM-enabled devices to identify and prevent fake, cloned, and non-compliant equipment from connecting to telecommunications networks.

Edoyemi Ogoh, director of technical standards and network integrity at the commission, spoke on Tuesday at a news conference on the commission’s technical standards and network integrity initiatives in Abuja.

Type approval is the regulatory process through which the NCC certifies that telecommunications equipment meets established technical requirements before it is sold or used in Nigeria.

Ogoh said the enhanced compliance framework would strengthen oversight of devices imported, sold, and used in Nigeria.

He said the framework would enable the commission to verify devices against its type approval requirements, improve network performance, and protect consumers from equipment that does not meet applicable technical standards.

“We have also ensured that devices currently in stock are appropriately onboarded and that devices imported into Nigeria going forward are properly verified and authenticated,” he said.

“This will provide a more effective mechanism for identifying non-compliant, cloned, or fake devices and prevent them from connecting to our networks.”

Ogoh said the commission’s initiative followed the issuance of its type approval business rules in August 2024 and consultations with original equipment manufacturers, importers, dealers, telecommunications operators, government agencies and industry associations.

He said the commission had also worked with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and other stakeholders across the device supply chain to support implementation.

According to Ogoh, under section 132(2) of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003, communications equipment intended for sale or use in Nigeria must obtain type approval from the commission.

He said the enhanced framework would improve compliance with the requirements and help ensure that devices connecting to Nigerian networks are compatible with network infrastructure.

The director urged consumers to confirm the type approval status of SIM-enabled devices before buying them.

Ogoh said buyers should ask sellers whether a phone, tablet, modem, point-of-sale terminal, or other SIM-enabled device had received NCC type approval.