NCC Unseals Tecno Office

A week after the office of Tecno Telecom Limited was sealed by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) over its failure to get type approvals for its range of products, the office has been reopened. The NCC after shutting down the company’s office also stormed Computer Village at Otigba in Ikeja to close down retail outlets of Tecno phone dealers. The office was reopened last Wednesday at 4.31pm by officials of the NCC following submission of type approval applications to the NCC. Chidi Okonkwo, deputy general manager, Tecno Limited said the company was processing documents to obtain type approvals from the NCC as it had submitted the application at the NCC Lagos office but there was a delay on the part of NCC’s Lagos office in getting it across to the Abuja office before the regulator pounced. He said the issue has been resolved as Tecno is currently processing type approvals for over 20 models of its products. Tecno has an array of 30 products, out of which it possess approvals for two products. The deputy general manager following reopening of the office said in a press release that :“The management of Tecno Telecom Limited is pleased to inform its customers and the general public that its service centre at 19, Olowu Street, Ikeja has been reopened for business.” “As a responsible company, we are aware of the need to continually ensure compliance with tenets and laws governing establishment and operation of business in Nigeria. It is in light of this that we assure our customers of our commitment to ensuring full compliance with the requirements of all governing/regulatory bodies including the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).” The Computer and Allied Products Dealers Association of Nigeria (CAPDAN), the umbrella body of mobile phones dealers at the Computer Village had signed an undertaking with the NCC giving phone manufacturers 30 days within which they are expected to get their phones certified. Efosa Idehen, head of Enforcement Unit at the NCC said a month was given to tell the manufacturers whose phones they deal in to get their models approved or risk their shops being sealed off until they obeyed the laws. The Nigerian Communications Commission is empowered by the Nigerian Communications Act 2003 to establish and enforce standards for all telecommunications equipment in operation in the Federal Republic of Nigeria to ensure that they operate seamlessly and safely within the Nigerian telecommunications environment. All equipment manufacturers, vendors and operators, including customer devices such as mobile phones and wireless adapters, must therefore ensure that their equipment conform to the applicable standards as mandated by the Commission before bringing them into Nigeria. The Type Approval standards set by the Nigerian Communications Commission are based on international standards from the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), International Special Committee on Radio Interference (CISPR), the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). Tecno was one of the first mobile brands to introduce dual Sim phones into the Nigerian market as one of its leading markets. With predominantly over 75 per cent low end products, Tecno plays a significant role in the low to mid end mobile phone segment.