NCC Releases List of Approved Phones in Nigeria as Tecno Brands Lead

NCC Releases List of Approved Phones in Nigeria as Tecno Brands Lead

  • The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has added new phone models to the number of approved phones in the country
  • The NCC disclosed that about 102 mobile devices have been approved and added to the list
  • The NCC said the release of the data is essential to allow Nigerians to check if their phones are approved in the country

Legit.ng’s Pascal Oparada has reported on tech, energy, stocks, investment, and the economy for over a decade.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has added 102 phone types to the list of approved phones in the country.

The telecommunications regulator disclosed that the number of approved phones in Africa’s largest mobile phone market reached 2,257 as of June 6, 2024.

NCC adds 102 new phones in Nigeria
NCC releases the list of new phones in Nigeria Credit: Luis Alvarez
Source: Getty Images

Chinese phone brands lead

According to NCC data, mobile phones by the Chinese company, the Transsion Group, dominate the Nigerian market.

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The Transsion Group manufactures the Tecno, Inifnix, and Itel brands, which have the largest number of approved phones in the Nigerian market.

The NCC disclosed that the different phone brands and models have been tested and found suitable for use in Nigeria and have met the required standards.

Reports say that as of December 2023, Nigeria's number of approved phone types stood at 2,100.

Transsion brands account for 26%

The NCC reports that phone brands under the Transsion Group have about 598 models approved for sale in Nigeria, representing 26% of the total approved phones in the market.

Nokia came second in Nigeria with about 310 approved brands and models, followed by Samsung, with 231 approved mobile devices in the market.

Others include Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo brands.

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The former NCC chairman, Umar Danbatta, said the approval of mobile devices in Nigeria is necessary to tackle the challenges of counterfeit phones sold in the market.

Why NCC released list of approved phones

Danbatta noted that the NCC's list of approved phones allows Nigerians to check whether their preferred phones have been tested and approved for sale in the country.

He 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.

A recent report said Nigeria has over 219 million active mobile subscribers as of March 2024, leading to the influx of mobile phone manufacturers into the country.

NCC warns Nigerians to avoid Gionee, others

Legit.ng earlier reported that the number of approved phones in Nigeria by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has risen to 2,155 as of July 2023.

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The devices are of different brands and models tested by NCC and have met the approved standards to allow them to be sold to Nigerian consumers.

As of April this year, approved phones in Nigeria by NCC stood at 2,112.

Proofreading by James Ojo Adakole, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Pascal Oparada avatar

Pascal Oparada (Business editor) For over a decade, Pascal Oparada has reported on tech, energy, stocks, investment, and the economy. He has worked in many media organizations such as Daily Independent, TheNiche newspaper, and the Nigerian Xpress. He is a 2018 PwC Media Excellence Award winner. Email:pascal.oparada@corp.legit.ng