The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has urged Nigerians to verify mobile phones before purchasing them by dialling *315#, a device-checking code designed to help consumers establish whether their phones are approved and verified for use on Nigerian networks.
The commission said buyers could also use the device checker available on its website to confirm a phone’s status, particularly when purchasing second-hand devices or phones imported from abroad.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television’s Newsnight, the NCC’s Director of Technical Standards and Network Integrity, Eduyemi Ogoh, advised consumers to carry out the check before completing a purchase.
“Before you buy the phone, dial *315# and confirm that the phone is fully verified before you pay,” Ogoh said.
He explained that the initiative was introduced to fulfil the commission’s responsibilities under the Nigerian Communications Act 2003, protect consumers and address complaints about poor network performance linked to mobile devices.
“The whole intent of [type approval] is to ensure that every device coming into the country is genuine and works the way it should work,” he said.
Ogoh warned that consumers could unknowingly spend money on imitation or improperly functioning devices if they failed to verify their phones before buying them.
He added that the NCC had discovered that some complaints about network quality were linked to the devices being used. According to him, unapproved or faulty phones could affect not only their owners but also other users within the same area.
How to Check a Phone Before Buying
To verify a device, buyers should dial *315# and follow the instructions to enter its International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), a unique identification number assigned to each mobile phone.
Consumers can request the IMEI from a seller and check the device before making payment.
However, Ogoh clarified that a failed verification does not automatically mean a phone is counterfeit.
He explained that type approval involves laboratory testing of a phone model to determine whether it meets the required technical standards and can function properly on Nigerian networks. Device verification, on the other hand, confirms that an individual phone has been registered on the NCC’s device checker system using its IMEI.
“Type approval is done just once per model,” he said, noting that manufacturers, vendors and importers—not individual buyers—are responsible for obtaining type approval.
The enhanced compliance process applies to devices brought into Nigeria from October 7. Ogoh said phones already operating on Nigerian networks by midnight on October 6 had been registered and verified under the system.
According to him, the commission had onboarded approximately 231 million existing devices, assuring Nigerians that they would not be required to discard phones they had already purchased and were using.
“We know that people have spent their money to do this, so you cannot be asking them to go and throw those phones out,” he said.
NCC Addresses Privacy Concerns
Ogoh also sought to reassure consumers concerned about their privacy, explaining that the device checker uses only a phone’s IMEI to verify its status.
He said the system does not give the NCC access to users’ calls, contacts, text messages or other stored information.
The commission said the verification process could help buyers avoid unexpected device problems and determine whether poor network service was connected to an unapproved phone.
Consumers experiencing problems with the device checker can dial 315 for assistance, while complaints about other telecommunications services can be directed to the NCC’s consumer complaint line on 622.
Source: NCC
