NCC Unveils *315# Device Checker Code To Block Fake, Cloned Phones
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has registered about 231 million telecom devices and is implementing a Device Checker and Type Approval Compliance framework to prevent counterfeit, cloned and unapproved phones from accessing mobile networks.
The Director of Technical Standards and Network Integrity at the NCC, Edoyemi Ogoh, disclosed this during a media briefing on the implementation of the Device Checker and Type Approval Compliance framework in Abuja on Tuesday.
Ogoh said the commission had automatically captured devices already operating on Nigerian networks before the verification system became fully operational, removing the need for existing subscribers to undertake additional registration.
“We had already registered about 231 million devices across the country. And those devices, basically, you don’t have to do anything. The subscriber does not have to do anything,” he said.
He clarified that previously connected devices, including those that might not meet current approval standards, would not be disconnected retrospectively.
“We are not blacklisting those that have come up before this,” he said.
“However, newly introduced devices must meet the commission’s verification requirements before accessing telecommunications networks,” Ogoh said.
On consumer verification, Ogoh advised Nigerians to dial *315# or visit the NCC’s Device Checker portal to confirm whether phones, tablets, modems and other SIM-enabled devices had been approved.
Consumers can also retrieve a phone’s International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number by dialling *#06#.
He said subscribers who purchased unverified devices should contact their sellers for replacements, while unresolved complaints could be reported through the commission’s toll-free 315 helpline.
Ogoh also urged Nigerians to verify devices before purchasing them, saying: “When buying a phone, tablet, modem or any device that uses a SIM, consumers should ask the seller whether it is NCC-approved and independently verify its approval status.”
