The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on Sunday frowned at the continued importation and marketing of substandard Information and Communication Technology (ICT) devices in the country. The Commission said on Sunday in a statement in Abuja with approved phone list available on its website there was no reason Nigerians will continue to use substandard mobile devices in the country.
NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, Nnamadi Nwokike, said the Commission will commence the enforcement of its regulations against the continuous proliferation of substandard mobile phones and devices in the country.
The NCC announced this at a “Sensitisation Programme on the Hazardous Effects of Non-type Approved Handsets and Impact on Quality of Service and E-waste” at Paiko, Niger State.
The Commission, in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and other government agencies, recently inaugurated two committees to design modalities towards curbing the proliferation of substandard handsets in the country.
Also, the Commission has developed regulations on electronic waste (e-waste) as another regulatory instrument aimed at providing a regulatory framework for the management and control of e-waste in the telecommunications industry, in line with Section 132 of the NCA, 2003’.
Mr Nwokije said the NCC was empowered by the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003, Section 132, to establish and enforce standards for all telecommunications equipment in operation in the country to ensure they operated seamlessly and safely within the Nigerian telecommunications environment.
He said all equipment manufacturers, vendors and operators, including customer devices, such as mobile phones and wireless adapters, must ensure their equipment conformed to the applicable standards as mandated by the Commission before bringing them into Nigeria.
The director advised telecom consumers against patronage and usage of counterfeit handsets and other substandard mobile devices to avoid dangerous consequences. The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Umar Danbatta, told participants the semsitization programme was part of the commission’s deliberate move to educate and create awareness on the hazardous health effects and negative economic implications of the patronage of fake handsets.
Mr Danbatta said the programme was also to educate participants on the negative effect of also using other Information and Communication Technology (ICT) devices in the country. He was represented by the Director, Zonal Operations Department at NCC, Amina Shehu, who stressed the need to use type-approved handsets only.
Mrs Shehu said the benefits of using such equipment include better quality of service (QoS), network integrity and safety of the end-users. She said the menace of counterfeit and substandard handsets has assumed a global dimension, which require a lot of education of consumers and the collaboration with other government agencies to address it.
The director also enjoined telecoms consumers to check the Commission’s official website to find the list of type-approved phones they can make choices of handsets to purchase. “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 regulatory type-approval process aimed at certifying such devices as fit for the market,” she said.
Mrs Shehu said the NCC was also responsible for ensuring consumers enjoyed their investment in the telecommunications industry. Speaking on behalf of telecoms consumers and participants at the event, the Hakimi of Paiko, Mansur Mustapha, commended the NCC for bringing the programme to the community. He, however, complained of poor network services and unsolicited text messages they receive from telecom operators, and urged the Commission to provide necessary responses, especially on the need to activate the Do-Not-Disturb (DND) 2442 Short Code to stop unsolicited text messages. (NAN)
