NCC Urges Nigerians To Ensure Gadget Is Type-Approved Before Purchase
TECH DIGEST – The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has appealed to Nigerians to cross-check on its website if mobile devices they want to purchase are type-approved by the Commission.
The Commission is empowered by the Nigerian Communications Act 2003 to establish and enforce standards for all telecommunications equipment in operation in the Federal Republic of Nigeria to ensure that they operate seamlessly and safely within the Nigerian telecommunications environment.
TechEconomy.ng understands that the Type-Approval by NCC are based on international standards from; The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and its International Special Committee on Radio Interference (CISPR), The European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) and The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI).
Nigeria is an associate member of IEC through the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and could become an associate member of CENELEC and ETSI.
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.
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Speaking on this subject, the Director, Technical Standards and Network Integrity at NCC, Engineer Bako Wakil, said: “I want to appeal to people to cross-check with the NCC website when they want to buy, particularly, mobile handsets; whether we have really type-approved the model they want to buy.
“The type-approval process is to ensure that the proliferation of sub-standard and/or fake devices is not actually allowed in the industry. What is happening is that if telecom devices are not produced according to standards, they might bring some challenges to the users. They (the devices) probably radiate more than expected and could harm the user,” he said.
Wakil added that “In some cases they introduce noise and interference into the network. So, sometimes, you will be complaining that your network is bad, but it is actually the problem of fake smartphone or device you are using.
“So, what we appeal to people to look at the NCC website, we have list of the model number of all the type-approved devices; whether mobile handset, tablet, laptop computers, switches. Any device that connects to the national network ought to have been type-approved by the commission. With that we ensure they are produced according to the standards they were meant to operate. Meanwhile, because of the nefarious nature of (some people in) our country, a lot of sub-standard and/or fake devices are shipped into the country. They seem to be cheaper; people rush to buy them whereas they introduce a lot of injuries and challenges into the communications network”.
To check if communication equipment, smartphone or related gadgets are type-approved by NCC, visit this LINK.
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