Regulator the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has introduced a device management system (DMS). The NCC DMS is described as a comprehensive central equipment identity register (CEIR) aimed at managing and regulating mobile devices accessing the country’s communication networks.
The initiative is designed to ensure stricter control over mobile devices, to enhance security, and to promote compliance with established regulatory standards.
It will act as a central database for tracking devices across all mobile network operators (MNOs) in Nigeria.
By registering and monitoring device access, the NCC says it seeks to curb the use of unapproved devices and prevent issues such as phone theft and fraudulent activities involving mobile devices.
The regulator explains that the NCC-DMS will acquire the international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) of all devices on the communication network and synchronise with international databases of IMEI repositories. Thus the NCC-DMS will maintain a registry of all communication devices available in the country.
All MNOs in the country are legally obliged to connect to the system. A registration fee structure will be applied to every device registered.
News resource Nairametrics says the NCC first announced plans to deploy the DMS in 2021. Among the reasons given were “to curtail the counterfeit mobile phone market, discourage mobile phone theft, enhance national security, protect consumer interest, increase revenue generation for the government, reduce the rate of kidnapping, mitigate the use of stolen phones for crime, and facilitate blocking or tracing of stolen mobile phones and other smart devices”.
Every reported IMEI for stolen and illegal mobile phones and other smart devices will be blacklisted and shared with all operators across all networks, meaning the blacklisted devices will not work in any Nigerian network.