Chinenye Anuforo
Worried by the influx of substandard mobile phones and devices into the country, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has again advised telecom customers to eschew patronage and usage of counterfeit handsets and other substandard mobile devices in the country.
This was the objective of one day event tagged: “Sensitization programme on hazardous effect of non-type approved handsets and impact on quality of service and e-waste” held at Paiko, Niger State, recently.
The Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of the NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, while addressing the audience at the event that also featured questions and answers between the consumers and the regulator, said the sensitization programme was part of the Commission’s deliberate move to educate and create awareness on the hazardous health effects and negative economic implications of the patronage of fake handsets and other Information and Communication Technology (ICT) devices in the country.
According to Danbatta, who was represented by Director, Zonal Operations Department at NCC, Mrs. Amina Shehu, “It is a programme designed by the Commission to educate and enlighten the masses on the need to use type-approved handsets and the benefits of using such equipment which includes better quality of service (QoS), network integrity and safety of the end-users.”