Find out more as NCC introduces USSD code for Nigerians to check if their phone is approved
The NCC has registered 231 million devices and introduced to help Nigerians verify phone approval status, following warnings about possible network disconnections.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is the regulator responsible for overseeing telecoms operators and devices connecting to networks in Nigeria, with a long-standing mandate to curb the use of counterfeit, cloned, or unregistered phones that are often linked to fraud, theft, and network interference. The commission has periodically pushed device-verification initiatives, including the Type Approval process that certifies a handset meets technical and security standards before it can legally operate on local networks.
This latest move centres on a USSD short code, *315#, which subscribers can dial to instantly check whether their device is on the NCC's approved list. Reports across outlets agree on the code and its purpose, with some adding that over 200 million devices have already been registered in the system and that phones failing the check could eventually be barred from Nigerian networks. Still unclear from the coverage is a firm timeline for any disconnection of unapproved devices, how consumers with flagged phones can resolve the issue, and what penalties, if any, apply to sellers of non-compliant handsets.