NCC raises alarm over influx of substandard phones

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has raised the alarm over the influx of substandard phones and other telecom devices into Nigeria.

Prof. Umar Danbatta, executive vice chairman of NCC, who stated this in Abuja, said that, such devices are responsible for low quality of service and associated hazardous health effect.

Danbatta spoke during a sensitisation workshop with the theme: “Stakeholders Sensitisation Workshop on the Hazardous Effect of Non-type Approved Handsets and Impact on Quality of Service and e-Waste,” in Bwari Area Council, FCT, Abuja.He said the sensitisation 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 and other Information and Communication Technology (ICT) devices in the country.

Danbatta, who was represented by Mrs. Amina Shehu, director, zonal operations department at NCC, said the Commission was empowered by the Nigerian Communications Act to establish and enforce standards for all telecommunications equipment in operation in Nigeria to ensure that they operate seamlessly and safely within the Nigerian telecommunications environment.

“As we all know, sub-standard, counterfeit or non-type approved handsets are a global menace and much more severe in the third world and developing economies. In Nigeria, as in other developing countries, this problem has been very challenging because of its large population and market size that make such markets very attractive to marketers of non-type approved handsets,” he said.

He averred that NCC is empowered by the Nigeria Communications Act 2003 section 132 to carry out Type Approval of all communications equipment for use in Nigeria.

According to him, the NCC was set to form a coalition of forces in a renewed strategic partnership with all the marketers of handsets in the sector, to contain the menace.In his paper presentation on the theme of discourse, Engr. Kunle Olorundare, manager, Technical Standards and Network Integrity, harped on the need to eschew substandard phones for optimal quality of service.