NCC clamps down on mobile phone makers
The
bid to fight unapproved mobile phones in Nigeria took a more robust push with the
Nigerian Communications Commission sealing off the offices and warehouses of
two mobile phone manufacturers at the popular Computer Village, in Ikeja,
Lagos.
According
to the telecommunications regulator, the two companies - Ken Xin Da Mobile and
G-Tide Mobile - were sealed because “they did not conform to the ‘Type
Approval’ standards as mandated by the Commission before bringing their devices
into Nigeria.”
NCC
is empowered by the Nigerian Communications Act 2003 to establish and enforce
standards for all telecommunications equipment in operation in the country, in
order to ensure that they operate seamlessly and safely within the Nigerian
telecommunications environment.
NCC
regular publishes a list of type-approved phones in Nigeria but hardly seals
companies for manufacturing and selling of non-typed approved phones.
The
statement read further, “All equipment manufacturers, vendors and operators,
including customer devices such as mobile phones and wireless adapters, must
therefore ensure that their equipment conform to the applicable standards as
mandated by the Commission before bringing them into Nigeria.
“To
ensure maximum interoperability and affordability for consumers, the Type
Approval standards set by the NCC are based on international standards, which
represent international practices as developed in many countries.”
Comments
Samantha Cole