Phone dealers warn NCC device registration fees could push up prices

Mobile phone dealers in Nigeria have warned that proposed registration fees for newly imported devices under the Nigerian Communications Commission's Device Management System could raise retail prices for consumers. The Association of Mobile Phones and Allied Products Traders of Nigeria said it supports the DMS but opposes the financial burden attached to registering newly imported mobile phones and other devices.

The association's president, Musa Mamza, said in an Abuja statement that manufacturers, distributors and dealers are unlikely to absorb the additional charges. He said any fee imposed along the supply chain could be added to the prices Nigerians pay at retail.

Traders reject cost, not policy

Mamza said device makers have not agreed to carry the cost. “The companies that produce the devices refuse to say they will bear the cost, and so, the OEMs, dealers or distributors will be at the cost of paying that fee. Then they will transfer it to the end user,” he said.

He stressed that traders were not rejecting the DMS itself. “We are not against the policy. We are against some of the aspects which are detrimental to the industry. This is our concern,” he added.

Call for sensitisation before enforcement

The association also raised concerns about what it described as inadequate sensitisation ahead of implementation. Mamza said thousands of phone dealers, distributors and retailers across Nigeria would need clear information and practical training to understand how the registration process would work. The group called for a three-to-six-month sensitisation period before enforcement of the disputed provisions.

“This will give the NCC and other stakeholders enough time to educate the traders, explain the processes and address the concerns that have been raised,” Mamza said.

The association said it had communicated its concerns to relevant authorities and was seeking further engagement with the NCC before the payment component takes effect. Mamza also appealed to the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, to intervene. “If the Minister of Communication is not aware, let him be aware and let him call the NCC to order. Let him do the right thing,” he said.

Jobs and device security at stake

Mamza warned that poorly coordinated implementation could affect businesses and jobs across Nigeria's mobile-device distribution chain, especially if higher costs weaken consumer demand.

The DMS is designed to give the telecommunications regulator a centralised system for identifying and managing mobile devices operating on Nigerian networks. Such systems can help identify devices, tackle cloned or counterfeit phones and strengthen efforts against device-related fraud and security threats. Mobile phone traders maintain that they support those objectives but want implementation structured in a way that does not impose additional financial pressure on businesses or consumers.

The Nigerian Communications Commission has also announced that its Telecommunications Identity Risk Management System will become operational in October, strengthening efforts to combat financial fraud and identity theft involving mobile phone numbers. Known as TIRMS, the digital platform is designed to help banks, telecommunications companies and other service providers identify suspicious mobile numbers before fraudulent transactions are completed.

For Nigerian phone buyers, the key question is whether the registration fee will be absorbed in the supply chain or passed to retail prices. Dealers say they cannot absorb it.