NCC launches mobile app for device verification and IMEI scanning

According to TechCabal, the Nigerian Communications Commission has developed a mobile application that allows authorised industry stakeholders to scan phones' International Mobile Equipment Identity numbers and upload device information to its verification platform. The regulator is stepping up efforts to enforce equipment approval requirements.

The commission announced the development at a media briefing on Thursday when it said the application is designed to simplify compliance for manufacturers, importers, distributors and phone dealers. The app forms part of the Device Checker initiative, which allows consumers to check whether devices have received regulatory approval before purchase. The commission states that the wider platform is intended to help curb the circulation of counterfeit, cloned, unauthorised and other non-compliant devices in Nigeria.

TechCabal examined how the country's complex phone distribution network could complicate enforcement on October 20, 2026. Devices move through manufacturers, major importers, regional distributors and smaller retailers before reaching consumers. This makes it difficult to establish responsibility when a device fails regulatory checks. The new application provides an additional tool for collecting device information across this chain.

The commission states that the user friendly application enables authorised stakeholders to quickly scan device IMEIs and upload information directly to the platform. In practice, the app is intended to improve efficiency and ease compliance for authorised stakeholders. This gives the commission a way to collect device information from businesses across the supply chain and check compliance with its Type Approval requirements.

Enforcement and Regional Progress

The regulator also reported progress in licensing and regularising phone dealers in Kano State. This comes alongside sensitisation engagements with importers and other industry participants in Lagos and elsewhere. The real measure is whether the app can help the regulator trace non-compliant phones back through the supply chain.