Nigeria is moving to make every mobile phone in the country traceable through the Nigerian Communications Commission’s Device Management System (DMS). By requiring SIM-enabled devices to be registered via their International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers before sale or network connection, the system aims to weed out stolen, cloned, and unapproved imports—bringing unprecedented oversight to a traditionally informal market.
Yet the policy poses a critical question: how much regulation can the device market absorb before consumers bear the cost? While the NCC targets smugglers, tighter controls threaten to squeeze legitimate importers, small-scale traders, repair shops, and consumers already grappling with high smartphone prices.
The stakes extend far beyond telecom compliance. In Nigeria, where mobile devices are the primary gateway to the internet, device costs directly dictate digital access. According to research by the GSM Association, more than 140 million Nigerians lived in areas with 3G, 4G, or 5G coverage but did not use mobile internet in 2025, largely because they could not afford an internet-enabled smartphone or lacked the digital skills to use one.
Today, a phone is no longer merely a communications device. It is a bank branch, an identity document, a point-of-sale terminal, a schoolbook, a work tool, and an entry point into the digital economy. Consequently, any policy that changes the cost or availability of devices sends shockwaves through the entire digital economy, far beyond telecom regulation.
Originally published by TechCabal.