NCC releases list of approved phones in Nigeria as Tecno brands lead

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has added 102 phone types to Nigeria's approved phones.

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.

Chinese phone brands rule

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

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 2,155.

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 comprise the rest.

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 releases 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.