The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, has moved to address concerns surrounding its new Device Management System, DMS, assuring Nigerians that the platform will not give the regulator access to their personal information or private communications.
The Commission said the system was developed strictly to identify mobile devices and ensure compliance with Type Approval requirements for communications equipment used in Nigeria.
In a statement issued by its Director of Corporate Affairs, Nnenna Ukoha, the NCC described claims that the DMS could expose users’ data as unfounded.
The clarification followed concerns over the Commission’s plan to use the system to electronically verify the Type Approval status of SIM enabled devices as part of efforts to strengthen regulation and oversight of communications equipment in the country.
According to the NCC, the DMS will keep device identification details, including the International Mobile Equipment Identity, IMEI, numbers associated with devices operating in Nigeria. However, the Commission stressed that the system will not give it access to the contents of users’ devices or their private communications.
The regulator said the initiative is aimed at ensuring that communications devices imported, sold and used in Nigeria meet the required technical and regulatory standards.
The NCC explained that Section 132(2) of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003 requires licensed service and facilities providers, equipment manufacturers and suppliers to obtain Type Approval before communications equipment can be sold or used in the country.
Beyond regulatory compliance, the Commission said the DMS would help identify devices that do not meet approved standards or were brought into the country illegally. It is also expected to contribute to better network performance and improve consumer confidence in devices sold in Nigeria.
The system will further allow stolen devices reported through the appropriate channels to be identified and blocked from operating on Nigerian mobile networks.
The NCC has already begun the first phase of the automated Type Approval compliance framework in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service, Original Equipment Manufacturers, importers and relevant market associations.
The initial phase is focused on registering existing devices held in stock and ensuring that devices imported into Nigeria from now on are properly registered and authenticated.
The Commission’s Director of Technical Standards and Network Integrity, Engr. Edoyemi Ogoh, said the Type Approval Business Rules issued in August 2024 provided the regulatory foundation for establishing a Central Equipment Identity Register, CEIR.
The register is designed to maintain information on SIM enabled communications devices operating in Nigeria, particularly their IMEI numbers.
Ogoh explained that the central registry would enable the NCC to monitor compliance and ensure that devices brought into the country, sold to consumers and used on Nigerian networks meet the required standards.
“With the deployment of this system, all SIM enabled communications devices brought into the country must be registered before they are sold. Devices that are not duly registered will not be permitted to operate on Nigerian networks,” Ogoh said.
He added that the system would make it easier for the authorities to identify illegally imported and non compliant devices, while stolen devices could also be blocked from use across Nigerian mobile networks.
The NCC therefore maintained that the DMS is primarily a regulatory and device identification platform and is not designed to access, monitor or expose users’ personal communications.
