Last weekend, many Nigerians got a text from "NCC-Checker" warning that their phone was not verified and had 30 days before disconnection. Many spent the week dialling *315#, calling vendors and asking whether the phone in their hand was about to stop working.
Now the Nigerian Communications Commission has given its clearest answer yet. Phones that were already connected to Nigerian networks before its new verification system went live will not be cut off, even if they do not meet current approval standards.
"We are not blacklisting those that have come up before this," Engr. Edoyemi Ogoh, the NCC's Director of Technical Standards and Network Integrity, told a media briefing in Abuja, according to Daily Trust.
The NCC says about 231 million devices already on Nigerian networks have been registered automatically. "The subscriber does not have to do anything," Ogoh said.
READ ALSO: NCC Starts 30-Day Countdown to Cut Off Unapproved Phones: How to Check Yours
What the NCC Said
At the briefing on its Device Checker and Type Approval Compliance framework, Ogoh said the commission had "already registered about 231 million devices across the country," as reported by Nairametrics. Devices that were already connected were captured automatically, so their owners do not need to register them.
The commission will not disconnect devices retrospectively, a decision meant to protect people who bought phones before any verification tool existed. Nigeria Info reported that the policy took effect on 7 October 2026 and that existing phones are treated as verified.
The tougher rules point forward. Newly introduced devices must meet verification requirements before they can access networks. The NCC says it is working with the Nigeria Customs Service, manufacturers, importers and dealers to authenticate imported phones before they reach shops, and the system can show who imported a device, when, and in what quantity.
Is the Device Checker Spying on You?
This was the other big worry. Ogoh said the system "is not a surveillance tool and does not provide access to personal information stored on devices." It works with device identity data such as the IMEI, the 15-digit number every phone carries, not messages, photos, contacts or financial records.
The legal basis has not changed. Section 132(2) of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003 requires communications equipment to be approved before it is sold or used in Nigeria, and the NCC's type approval compliance notice sets out how its Device Management System registers devices by IMEI under business rules issued in August 2024.
What About the 30-Day Texts?
Here is the gap. The NCC's latest public statements do not directly address the "30 cumulative days" alerts that some subscribers received, including people whose phones had been working on Nigerian networks for a long time. Going by what Ogoh said, a phone that was connected before the system went live should not be disconnected, but the commission has not publicly explained why some of those phones were flagged. GizPulse has not been able to confirm how the alerts and the new assurance fit together.
If you received one of those messages, these are the safest steps:
- Dial *315# on the phone and choose to check the device, or use the NCC Device Checker portal. Dial *#06# to see your IMEI.
- If the result is a warning, contact the seller first. The NCC says buyers of unverified devices should ask the seller for a replacement.
- If the problem is not resolved, call the NCC's toll-free 315 helpline.
The commission also says a failed check does not automatically mean a phone is fake, so do not throw it away or sell it off cheaply in a panic.
READ ALSO: Nigerians Used a Record 1.76 Million Terabytes of Data in August
What This Means for You
If your phone was already working on a Nigerian network before this month, the NCC's position is that you do not need to do anything. Keep your proof of purchase anyway, in case anything changes for flagged phones.
If you are buying a phone now, especially a "UK used" device or a cheap online deal, run the *315# check before you pay. New devices entering the market are where the rules now bite, and a phone that fails verification today may not get the same protection as one already on the network.
For phone traders in Computer Village and beyond, the burden is shifting to importers and dealers. Stock that cannot be authenticated will be harder to sell, and buyers now have a free tool to check before handing over cash.
The NCC has softened the message: phones already on Nigerian networks stay on. The real test is now at the point of sale, so check any new phone with *315# before money changes hands.
