NCC blames substandard phones for poor telecom service

Nigerian mobile telephone service subscribers have been advised to ensure their handsets met the prescribed standard specification of the #NigeriaCommunicationsCommission (NCC) to guarantee good network service. The NCC Director of Public Affairs, Mr Tony Ojobo, gave the advice on Monday in Abuja in an interview in Abuja. "Substandard phones have contributed to the level of poor services because there is a certain required power in cell phones that would enable it to transmit signals,’’ he said. Ojobo said that the use of substandard handsets by subscribers was responsible for poor network services in the country. He said it was the mandate of the Commission to ensure that the quality of telecom equipment imported into the country were of international standard and tailored to meet the Nigerian environmental standards. He said issues of sub-standard phones were of a concern to the Commission, and advised importers to ensure that their products fit into the country’s standard. "If the requirement is not met, then it will create problems in the network and that is why when people call a particular number they are unable to reach the number. This is not necessarily because there is no service there; but because their phones are not powered enough to sense signals because they are substandard. We are using this to reinstate that all vendors must be licensed by the Commission first and foremost. You can’t sell anything without having the authorisation of the Commission,’’ he said. - NigeriaBulletin