Check our website for an approved list of mobile phones, others — NCC
.Says cheap, fake, substandard products affect network
By Eyo Nsima
The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC has urged the public to check its website for list of approved mobile and other appliances to ensure they are approved.
The Commission warned that the proliferation of cheap, fake and substandard products posed serious health hazards as well as affects the operations of the network.
In a video obtained from NCC Twitter handle, Engr. Bako Wakil, Director Technical Standards and Network Integrity, said: “I appeal to people to crosscheck when they want to buy, particularly mobile handsets. The approval process is to ensure that the proliferation of fake and substandard products is not allowed into the industry.
“What happens is that they are not produced according to standard. They might bring problems to the users. For instance, they might radiate more than they should and might harm users.
“They also introduce noise and interference into the network. Sometimes you will complain that your network is bad, but the truth is that the handset that you are using is not good.
“We appeal to people to look at the NCC website; we have the list of approved mobile devices, including handsets, tablets, and laptops that are going to be connected to the national network, which has been produced according to standards.”
It added: “Because of the porous nature of our borders, a lot of substandard and fake products come into the country and they bring injuries and challenges into the communication network.”
In another message obtained from its website, NCC stated: “The Nigerian Communications Commission is the independent National Regulatory Authority for the telecommunications industry in Nigeria. The Commission is responsible for creating an enabling environment for competition among operators in the industry as well as ensuring the provision of qualitative and efficient telecommunications services throughout the country.”
It added: “Over the years NCC has earned a reputation as a foremost Telecom regulatory agency in Africa. The Commission is hoping to catalyze the use of ICT’S for different aspects of national development. The Commission has initiated several programs such as State Accelerated Broadband Initiative (SABI) and Wire Nigeria Project (WIN) to help stimulate demand and accelerate the uptake of ICT tools and services necessary for the enthronement of a knowledge society in Nigeria.”
